Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Buys 2,272 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,200 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in STERIS were worth $9,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at about $76,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in STERIS by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 979,480 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $201,342,000 after buying an additional 75,877 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $416,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,219,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on STE. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

STERIS Price Performance

STE traded up $0.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $245.09. 1,044,282 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 544,983. The company has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.04 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $200.98 and a 12-month high of $252.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $228.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $220.91.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. STERIS's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

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.