STERIS plc $STE Shares Purchased by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 58.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,161 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,282 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 423.8% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 342.3% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meramec Financial Planners LLC purchased a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth about $33,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on STERIS in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp decreased their price target on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.25.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $228.75 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.14 and a 12-month high of $269.44. The stock has a market cap of $22.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.85 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $212.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.56.

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). STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 11.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 31.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Richard C. Breeden sold 1,481 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.51, for a total transaction of $310,284.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 38,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,163,347.64. This trade represents a 3.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 1,374 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.00, for a total value of $291,288.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 63,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,493,164. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 7,328 shares of company stock worth $1,554,051. 1.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.