Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,419 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 1.13% of STERIS worth $230,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $150,000. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in STERIS by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 9,019 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,011 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $407,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in STERIS by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 11,046 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,679,000 after buying an additional 1,774 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE STE traded down $0.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $220.43. 412,247 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 474,275. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $213.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.64. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.75.

STERIS 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.