4,494 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,494 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $924,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in STERIS by 65.5% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 192 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $224.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $212.57 and a 200 day moving average of $224.46. The company has a market cap of $22.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.59 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. 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. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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 reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.75.

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.