Trueblood Wealth Management LLC Sells 303 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Trueblood Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,523 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 54.8% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 583 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on STE. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One research 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.50.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $209.50 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $212.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.83 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

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.