North Dakota State Investment Board Invests $853,000 in STERIS plc $STE

North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,366 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $853,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,933,000. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $323,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 88.9% in the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 84,465 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $21,413,000 after purchasing an additional 39,753 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 15,327 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,886,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $324,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In related news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $215.51 on Thursday. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $195.14 and a twelve month high of $269.44. The firm has a market cap of $21.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average of $218.56 and a 200 day moving average of $242.42. 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 for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by ($0.03). STERIS had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 13.18%.The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 11.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on STE. KeyCorp dropped their price target on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.67.

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.