STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Acquired by Allianz Asset Management GmbH

Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 31.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,488 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 24,809 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH owned 0.10% of STERIS worth $23,229,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Park Edge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,709 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 395 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,280 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Coast Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 1,658 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total transaction of $4,275,362.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. The trade was a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of STERIS stock traded up $3.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $230.80. 650,272 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 653,828. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $227.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $22.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.23 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The company's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. JMP Securities increased their price target on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded STERIS from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $270.33.

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.