Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Sells 176 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,455 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 176 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 9.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 37,931 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $9,200,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth about $223,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $133,749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 4.6% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,944 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,412,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Down 2.3 %

STERIS stock opened at $220.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $197.82 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.97. The firm has a market cap of $21.65 billion, a PE ratio of 46.78 and a beta of 0.92.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 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%. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on STE shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.