Czech National Bank Has $5.12 Million Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,566 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in STERIS were worth $5,115,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 182.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in STERIS by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on STE. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.83.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4%

STERIS stock traded up $1.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $243.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 760,420 shares, compared to its average volume of 546,716. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The company has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a PE ratio of 51.63 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The firm's 50 day moving average is $229.18 and its 200 day moving average is $221.22.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.