Citigroup Inc. Has $22.88 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 132.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,932 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 57,432 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.10% of STERIS worth $22,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in STE. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in STERIS by 2.6% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,295,275 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $293,574,000 after purchasing an additional 33,348 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in STERIS by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 414,956 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $94,050,000 after acquiring an additional 32,549 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 580,782 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $131,634,000 after acquiring an additional 10,945 shares during the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $966,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,957,852 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,710,247,000 after purchasing an additional 46,628 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of STERIS stock traded down $0.92 on Thursday, reaching $246.16. 447,191 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,051. STERIS plc has a one year low of $200.98 and a one year high of $252.79. The company has a market capitalization of $24.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.70 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.30 and a 200 day moving average of $229.39.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. This is a positive change from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS's payout ratio is 34.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on STE. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $273.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of STERIS 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,959 shares of company stock valued at $11,231,764. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.