Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 60 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 372 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $76,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in STERIS by 63.4% in the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 7,120 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763 shares in the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in STERIS by 67.8% in the fourth quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 17,666 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,631,000 after buying an additional 7,137 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 507 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Suncoast Equity Management grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 3,560 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $732,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its position in shares of STERIS by 187.2% during the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 12,607 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 8,218 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE STE opened at $219.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.69 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $214.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $223.13.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

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.