STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,215 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,220 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.16% of STERIS worth $36,539,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Park Edge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 1.0% during the first quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,709 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 16.5% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 395 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $90,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 1.0% in the first quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,280 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Coast Financial LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 3.9% in the first quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 1,658 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the 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 owned 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the 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 owned 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. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:STE traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $226.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 733,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 634,152. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.56 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $235.88 and a 200-day moving average of $227.84. 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 plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted 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. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. STERIS's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This is a boost from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 40.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities upped their price target on 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 lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised STERIS from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $270.33.

About STERIS

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.