Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Sells 3,654 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lessened its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 27.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,559 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 3,654 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,161 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,809,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 187.2% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 12,607 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 8,218 shares during the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its position in STERIS by 67.8% in the fourth quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 17,666 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,631,000 after acquiring an additional 7,137 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in STERIS by 63.4% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 7,120 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 2,763 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in STERIS by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 6,827 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE STE traded down $1.80 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $238.57. The company had a trading volume of 396,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,427. The stock has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.48 and a beta of 0.94. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $252.79. The business's 50-day moving average is $235.67 and its 200-day moving average is $223.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. Equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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 $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.83.

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.