Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Has $645,000 Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,138 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 151 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 171.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 24.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in STERIS by 52.0% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $9,949,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. 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 price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.75.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE opened at $219.53 on Wednesday. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $197.82 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $21.67 billion, a PE ratio of 50.12 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $212.26 and a 200-day moving average of $224.61. 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 (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

STERIS Company 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.