Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires Shares of 45,547 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Two Sigma Advisers LP acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 45,547 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,363,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,369 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $260,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,707 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 655.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,016 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 8,691 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. JMP Securities upped their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $264.00.

STERIS Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:STE opened at $243.61 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $225.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.00. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $252.79. The company has a market capitalization of $23.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.72 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 (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.58 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 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.

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