Pacer Advisors Inc. Purchases 4,282 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 51.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,602 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,282 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in STERIS by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 164 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.2% during the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.3% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 12,329 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 34.9% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $202.93 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $213.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59 and a beta of 0.93. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.14 and a 52-week high of $269.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.09.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.83 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. Analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 11.18 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on STE. Weiss Ratings downgraded STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP John Adam Zangerle sold 1,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.28, for a total value of $296,968.32. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 35,259 shares in the company, valued at $7,379,003.52. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Richard C. Breeden sold 1,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.51, for a total value of $310,284.31. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 38,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,163,347.64. This trade represents a 3.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 7,328 shares of company stock valued at $1,554,051 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

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.