Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 39,395 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 160.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,990 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,395 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in STERIS were worth $16,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in STERIS by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in STERIS by 416.0% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity 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 shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $223.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.17 and a beta of 1.07. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $209.98 and a 1-year high of $269.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $229.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $245.58.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.53. STERIS had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.34%. STERIS’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.20.

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.