Fenimore Asset Management Inc. Has $46.33 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Fenimore Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,377 shares during the quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.21% of STERIS worth $46,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in STERIS by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,041 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $667,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 45,095 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,914,000 after buying an additional 5,168 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in STERIS by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,301 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,388,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in STERIS by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 16,219 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in STERIS by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 555,484 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $121,884,000 after buying an additional 51,229 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE:STE traded down $4.97 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $216.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 415,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,786. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $218.93. The company has a market capitalization of $21.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.12 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 1.49. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $180.54 and a twelve month high of $254.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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 business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. STERIS’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STE. KeyCorp began coverage on STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on STERIS from $225.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 4th. TheStreet raised STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.60.

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.