Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires 39,753 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Key Points

• Dana Investment Advisors boosted its STERIS stake by 88.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 39,753 additional shares and bringing its total to 84,465 shares worth about $21.4 million.
• STERIS reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $2.83 slightly below estimates while revenue of $1.59 billion matched expectations and rose 6.7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, payable June 26, and analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $275.67.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 88.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,465 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 39,753 shares during the period. STERIS comprises approximately 0.6% of Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of STERIS worth $21,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in STERIS by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 15,327 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,886,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $324,000. DNB Asset Management AS grew its position in STERIS by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 19,227 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $4,874,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in STERIS by 3,152.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 73,547 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $18,646,000 after acquiring an additional 71,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its position in STERIS by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 8,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of STE opened at $211.80 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.71 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.09. The business's fifty day moving average price is $219.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $242.91. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $195.14 and a 52 week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.74 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 11.18 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is 31.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on STE. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered STERIS from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total value of $734,876.58. Following the transaction, the director owned 705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

STERIS Profile

STERIS Corporation NYSE: STE is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.

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