Savant Capital LLC Decreases Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Savant Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 49.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,624 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,585 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $556,786,000 after acquiring an additional 17,007 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 171.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after acquiring an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $133,749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in STERIS by 7,418.7% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $75,132,000 after acquiring an additional 305,651 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $219.54 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $197.82 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $213.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $223.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.61 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 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%. On average, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’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 value 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 represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on STE shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.