STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,402 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,313 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in STERIS were worth $4,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler raised shares of 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. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $262.50.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE traded up $3.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $209.96. The stock had a trading volume of 428,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,413. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.94 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 and a 52 week high of $248.24.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

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.