GDS Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

GDS Wealth Management raised its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,697 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,855 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in STERIS were worth $15,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STE. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership acquired a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at $25,958,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in shares of STERIS by 5.3% in the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 33,800 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the first quarter valued at $261,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 31.9% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 102,488 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $23,229,000 after acquiring an additional 24,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its holdings in STERIS by 116.2% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 31,064 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $7,462,000 after purchasing an additional 16,694 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STE opened at $254.94 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.22. The firm has a market cap of $25.02 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $246.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.03. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $268.30.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 159 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.82, for a total transaction of $38,449.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,356,034.72. This represents a 0.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 value of $3,977,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 33,669 shares in the company, valued at $8,926,998.66. The trade was a 30.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS 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.