Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Grows Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 63.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,120 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,763 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,464,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $556,786,000 after acquiring an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $230,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,419 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 171.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $133,749,000 after purchasing an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in STERIS by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 293,360 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $71,152,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE opened at $223.83 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $213.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.22. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.52 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. Research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.75.

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.