Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 13,962 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Key Points

• Franklin Resources trimmed its stake in STERIS by 1.1% in Q3, selling 13,962 shares and leaving it with 1,245,004 shares (about 1.26% of the company) valued at roughly $308.06 million.
• Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares on March 5 at an average price of $237.21 (≈$734,877), reducing her holdings by 81.46% to 705 shares; insiders now own about 1.07% of the stock.
• STERIS met quarterly EPS of $2.53 with revenue up 9.2% year-over-year and set FY2026 guidance of $10.15–$10.30 EPS, while analysts rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $275.20.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,245,004 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 13,962 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.26% of STERIS worth $308,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Colonial Trust Co SC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 0.3% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 12,329 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,051,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in STERIS by 7.3% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 661 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in STERIS by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,953 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in STERIS by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,494 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $865,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.20.

STERIS Trading Down 4.0%

NYSE STE opened at $212.64 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $250.73. STERIS plc has a one year low of $204.90 and a one year high of $269.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.66 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.The business's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. Research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. STERIS's payout ratio is presently 35.15%.

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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