Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 2,500 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 99,798 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.10% of STERIS worth $22,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 61,484 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $13,935,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,951 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,029,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in STERIS during the 1st quarter worth approximately $650,000. Harvey Investment Co. LLC grew its position in shares of STERIS by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Harvey Investment Co. LLC now owns 66,660 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $15,108,000 after buying an additional 10,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Running Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of STERIS by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 66,459 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $15,063,000 after buying an additional 7,183 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 now directly owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

STERIS Stock Up 0.0%

STE stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $238.63. The stock had a trading volume of 741,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,077. The firm has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $223.97. 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 0.29, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. 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. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities boosted their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.83.

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.