Merit Financial Group LLC Has $2.07 Million Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 42.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,181 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,419 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in STERIS by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 164 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in STERIS by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in STERIS by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 12,329 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,051,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 34.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in STERIS by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,953 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings lowered STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.20.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $219.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.48. The firm has a market cap of $21.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.62 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $230.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.74. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $209.98 and a 52 week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.15%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,233.05. This trade represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.