STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Everence Capital Management Inc.

Everence Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,670 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 76.3% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 282 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $204.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $215.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.41. The firm has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 46.60 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) 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 the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 1.12%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on STE. Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

About STERIS

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.