Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 51,678 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 51,678 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $10,623,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.05% of STERIS as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STE. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 9,399 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,932,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in STERIS by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,184 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $509,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 46,200 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $9,497,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the period. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth about $76,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $1.27 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $243.35. 555,012 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 544,850. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The business's fifty day moving average is $228.80 and its 200-day moving average is $221.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.67 and a beta of 0.96.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. STERIS's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. STERIS's dividend 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.