STERIS plc $STE Shares Acquired by Nicholas Company Inc.

Nicholas Company Inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 77,975 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,240 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $19,768,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in STERIS by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 25,679 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $6,510,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $291,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $584,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 4,566 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 37.9% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 11,556 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,930,000 after purchasing an additional 3,178 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total value of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,233.05. The trade was a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $207.40 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $20.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $195.14 and a 52 week high of $269.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $244.27.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 35.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Weiss Ratings cut STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.20.

STERIS 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.