Stevens Capital Management LP Takes $849,000 Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,863 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $849,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.60.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $201.54. 411,721 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 463,475. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $180.54 and a 52 week high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $217.06. The company has a market cap of $19.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11 and a beta of 0.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

STERIS Company 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.