Oak Thistle LLC Increases Stock Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

Key Points

• Oak Thistle LLC increased its stake in STERIS by 279.2% in Q4 to 12,386 shares (worth about $3.14M), making STE its 26th largest holding amid roughly 94.7% institutional ownership.
• STERIS reported Q EPS of $2.53 (in line) with revenue up 9.2% YoY and set FY2026 guidance of EPS 10.15–10.30; analysts give a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $275.20.
• Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares for about $734,877, cutting her stake to 705 shares, while corporate insiders hold approximately 1.07% of the stock.

Oak Thistle LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 279.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,386 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 9,120 shares during the quarter. STERIS accounts for approximately 0.4% of Oak Thistle LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in STERIS were worth $3,140,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,971 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $753,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 3,595.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,737 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $440,000 after buying an additional 1,690 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,136 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on STE. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the transaction, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. The trade was a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Down 0.3%

STE opened at $219.34 on Wednesday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $204.90 and a one year high of $269.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $236.76 and its 200-day moving average is $247.32. The company has a market capitalization of $21.51 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59 and a beta of 1.07.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 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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