2,478 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Bought by GF Fund Management CO. LTD.

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,478 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 165.3% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $534,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619,796 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $238,836,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 45.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $250,130,000 after acquiring an additional 378,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in STERIS by 4,534.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 219,032 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $45,024,000 after acquiring an additional 214,306 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.4%

STE traded down $1.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $243.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 132,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 542,429. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $227.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.80 and a beta of 0.96.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's payout ratio is 36.77%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on STE. JMP Securities lifted their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

About STERIS

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.