STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Acquired by Running Oak Capital LLC

Running Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 12.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,459 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 7,183 shares during the quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC owned about 0.07% of STERIS worth $15,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,161 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,809,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 236.8% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $582,000 after acquiring an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of STERIS by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 63,482 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $13,049,000 after acquiring an additional 5,621 shares during the period. ING Groep NV raised its position in shares of STERIS by 187.2% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 12,607 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,591,000 after acquiring an additional 8,218 shares during the period. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 507 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on STE. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price target 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $263.83.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STE traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $235.46. 665,854 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 547,550. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $252.79. The stock has a market cap of $23.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.98 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $234.64 and a 200-day moving average of $223.43.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company 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 company earned $2.58 EPS. STERIS's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.