STERIS plc $STE Shares Purchased by Groupe la Francaise

Groupe la Francaise boosted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 19.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,527 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,693 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in STERIS by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 62,327 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,883,000 after acquiring an additional 5,156 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 282.2% during the second quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 9,099 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,186,000 after purchasing an additional 6,718 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,163,128 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,921,827,000 after purchasing an additional 205,276 shares during the period. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership acquired a new position in STERIS in the first quarter valued at $25,958,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its position in STERIS by 5.3% during the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 33,800 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $8,119,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on STE. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, VP Julia Madsen sold 5,008 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total transaction of $1,312,096.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 10,710 shares in the company, valued at $2,806,020. The trade was a 31.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 5,036 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.55, for a total value of $1,297,021.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 5,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,466,747.25. This trade represents a 46.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,203 shares of company stock valued at $6,624,667. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS Stock Up 0.1%

STE opened at $259.57 on Thursday. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $200.98 and a 1 year high of $268.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $249.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.37. The company has a market cap of $25.48 billion, a PE ratio of 37.29 and a beta of 1.01.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. STERIS had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 14.43%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.14 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

About STERIS

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.