Savant Capital LLC Trims Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Savant Capital LLC reduced its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 49.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,624 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 1,585 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in STERIS were worth $334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in STERIS by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 14,212 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $924,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,984 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Investment Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $11,585,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 11,314 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,326,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on STE. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.75.

STERIS Stock Down 0.2 %

STERIS stock traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $220.43. The stock had a trading volume of 412,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 474,275. The company has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.80 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $213.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $223.64. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

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.