Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 5,943 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,510 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 5,943 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.07% of STERIS worth $15,962,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STE. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth $25,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock opened at $252.36 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $204.90 and a 12-month high of $269.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $255.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $251.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.75 billion, a PE ratio of 35.20 and a beta of 1.03.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.34%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 35.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.20.

STERIS Company Profile

STERIS Corporation (NYSE: STE) is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.