Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 242 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 242 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Consolidated Planning Corp increased its stake in STERIS by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 16,072 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,304,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in STERIS by 130.2% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 28,816 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,923,000 after buying an additional 16,300 shares during the period. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,537 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 11,540 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,372,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 1,732 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

STERIS Price Performance

STE opened at $220.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.86 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $213.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.64. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. As a group, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

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.