2,478 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Bought by GF Fund Management CO. LTD.

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,478 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of STE. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $260,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 655.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,016 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,059,000 after buying an additional 8,691 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 789 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Running Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 59,276 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $12,185,000 after purchasing an additional 7,493 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE STE traded down $1.17 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $245.03. The company had a trading volume of 525,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 543,873. The stock has a market cap of $24.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.02 and a beta of 0.96. The company's fifty day moving average price is $227.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $264.00.

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.