Squarepoint Ops LLC Buys 14,268 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 537.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,923 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,268 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 182.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in STERIS by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on STE. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.00.

STERIS Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $243.21 on Tuesday. 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 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $252.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $226.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.90 billion, a PE ratio of 51.64 and a beta of 0.96.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for 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%. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 36.77%.

STERIS Profile

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.