GAMMA Investing LLC Has $235,000 Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

GAMMA Investing LLC cut its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,144 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 181 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 154.7% during the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 76.3% in the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 282 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STE opened at $206.30 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $214.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.36 billion, a PE ratio of 47.10 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 and a 52 week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on STE. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.50.

About STERIS

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.