Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 300 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,300 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in STERIS by 65.5% during the fourth quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $67,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $150,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock opened at $219.54 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $213.03 and its 200-day moving average is $223.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.61 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.75.

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.