Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Invests $650,000 in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,866 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $650,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in STERIS by 4,733.3% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised 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 buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total transaction of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade 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 corporate insiders.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of STE stock traded up $0.87 on Wednesday, hitting $240.46. The stock had a trading volume of 534,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,357. The business has a 50 day moving average of $235.67 and a 200 day moving average of $223.81. The stock has a market cap of $23.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.78 and a beta of 0.94. 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 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 earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 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 the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on STE. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.83.

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.