STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Short Interest Update

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 937,500 shares, a growth of 24.1% from the November 15th total of 755,600 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 563,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

STERIS Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE STE traded down $3.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $211.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 661,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 501,342. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market cap of $20.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.22 and a beta of 0.83. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $220.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.30. STERIS has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the subject of a number of research reports. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.50.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 21.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 12,650 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,068,000 after purchasing an additional 2,193 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth $9,949,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,171,000. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,153 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $765,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

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.