Forsta AP Fonden Trims Stock Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

Forsta AP Fonden lowered its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,600 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 15,400 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in STERIS were worth $12,575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in STERIS by 30.2% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 164 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 1,118 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.2% in the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 0.3% in the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 12,329 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 34.9% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $212.52 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $218.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.76. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.14 and a 52-week high of $269.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.86 by ($0.03). STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 11.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on STE. Weiss Ratings downgraded STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp cut their price objective on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the sale, the director directly owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

About STERIS

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.