STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 593.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,385 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,175 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in STERIS were worth $1,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in STERIS by 154.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in STERIS by 76.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 282 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $208.28 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $212.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.55 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler upgraded STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.50.

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.