Lbp Am Sa Trims Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Lbp Am Sa reduced its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,953 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 2,566 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in STERIS were worth $5,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in STERIS by 4,733.3% during the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in STERIS during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in STERIS by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 503.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 target price on the stock. JMP Securities boosted their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents 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 owned by corporate insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $231.41 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.60. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.32 and a beta of 0.92. 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 (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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

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.

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