American Century Companies Inc. Has $130.77 Million Stake in STERIS plc $STE

American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 544,385 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 114,651 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.55% of STERIS worth $130,772,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during 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 last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter worth $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in STERIS in the first quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the second quarter worth $56,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 5,036 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.55, for a total value of $1,297,021.80. Following the sale, the vice president owned 5,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,466,747.25. This trade represents a 46.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP John Adam Zangerle sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.14, for a total transaction of $3,977,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 33,669 shares in the company, valued at $8,926,998.66. This represents a 30.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,195 shares of company stock worth $5,312,571. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 0.0%

STE stock opened at $263.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $247.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.92. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $268.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a PE ratio of 40.32 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.43 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.21%.

STERIS Company Profile

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.