Truist Financial Corp Lowers Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Truist Financial Corp cut its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,239 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 981 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in STERIS by 400.4% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 224,741 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,198,000 after acquiring an additional 179,829 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $28,251,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 2,123.2% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 113,672 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,574,000 after acquiring an additional 108,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 9.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on STE shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler boosted 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.75.

STERIS Trading Up 0.1 %

STERIS stock opened at $223.83 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $213.84 and its 200-day moving average is $223.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.52 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

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.