Boston Financial Mangement LLC Trims Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Boston Financial Mangement LLC lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 199,454 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 3,528 shares during the quarter. STERIS comprises about 1.2% of Boston Financial Mangement LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Boston Financial Mangement LLC owned approximately 0.20% of STERIS worth $41,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $150,000. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.4% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 9,019 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,187,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 5.0% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 19,148 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $4,644,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 102.2% in the third quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,346 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

STE opened at $221.52 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.03 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $213.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.66.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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%. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.