STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) SVP Cary L. Majors Sells 12,828 Shares

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock traded down $3.34 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $241.87. 334,716 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 544,806. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.76 billion, a PE ratio of 51.35 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $228.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.91. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $252.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,957,852 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,710,247,000 after purchasing an additional 46,628 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in STERIS by 9.1% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,439,349 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,232,828,000 after buying an additional 452,146 shares in the last quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its stake in STERIS by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 3,354,545 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $760,308,000 after acquiring an additional 170,392 shares during the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 165.3% in the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $534,400,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $483,775,000 after acquiring an additional 56,123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 target price for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities raised their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

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.