Blueshift Asset Management LLC Purchases New Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,516 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of STE. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $556,786,000 after acquiring an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $230,160,000 after purchasing an additional 5,419 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter worth about $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in STERIS by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 569,837 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $117,136,000 after purchasing an additional 18,384 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on STE. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STE traded down $1.44 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $221.57. The stock had a trading volume of 550,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 504,069. The company has a market cap of $21.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.04 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The business's fifty day moving average is $221.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

STERIS Company Profile

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.