National Pension Service Boosts Stock Position in STERIS plc $STE

National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 172,499 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,697 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.18% of STERIS worth $43,732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,286,535 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,114,882,000 after buying an additional 73,014 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,354,839 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,077,564,000 after buying an additional 166,736 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,523,620 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $637,259,000 after buying an additional 14,151 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 2,100,099 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $504,486,000 after buying an additional 556,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,567,238 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $387,797,000 after buying an additional 221,199 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of STE opened at $212.52 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $218.24 and its 200 day moving average is $240.76. The company has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.93. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.14 and a 12-month high of $269.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.86 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.74 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. Research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 11.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.78%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This trade represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings cut STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.00.

STERIS Company 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.