Perpetual Ltd Has $12.46 Million Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 21.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,958 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,704 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd owned 0.06% of STERIS worth $12,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Select Equity Group L.P. raised its holdings in STERIS by 165.3% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $534,400,000 after buying an additional 1,619,796 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $483,775,000 after purchasing an additional 56,123 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in STERIS by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261,927 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $257,585,000 after buying an additional 172,795 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 45.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $250,130,000 after acquiring an additional 378,252 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of STERIS by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,213,037 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $249,352,000 after purchasing an additional 83,601 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $238.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.96. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The firm has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 0.94. The business's fifty day moving average is $235.99 and its 200-day moving average is $223.97.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. 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 business posted $2.58 earnings per share. STERIS's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. STERIS's payout ratio is 36.77%.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the business's 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. The trade was 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.83.

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.

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