GW&K Investment Management LLC Cuts Position in STERIS plc $STE

GW&K Investment Management LLC reduced its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 174,758 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,223 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.18% of STERIS worth $43,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in shares of 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 period. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its position in STERIS by 282.2% during the 2nd 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 period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in STERIS by 1.7% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in STERIS by 5.4% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 98,487 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $24,366,000 after purchasing an additional 5,072 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 28.8% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 96,853 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $23,966,000 after purchasing an additional 21,656 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock opened at $243.37 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.94 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $255.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $251.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $204.90 and a 52-week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced 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%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. Analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 35.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Six 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 has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.20.

STERIS Profile

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.