Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Has $8.12 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,490 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 1,530 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in STERIS were worth $8,118,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,928,000 after buying an additional 4,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,970 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,275,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $4.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $219.00. 340,954 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 502,127. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 46.50 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $212.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.37.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler raised 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. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.75.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company'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 represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% 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.