Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $669,000 in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,253 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $669,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,369 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $260,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 42.0% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,994 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 45,254 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $9,302,000 after purchasing an additional 3,414 shares during the period. Finally, Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.00.

STERIS Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:STE opened at $250.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.60 billion, a PE ratio of 53.15 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.48.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.