SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 140.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,125 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 14,109 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in STERIS were worth $5,468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in STERIS by 165.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in STERIS by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $483,775,000 after buying an additional 56,123 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position 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 worth $257,585,000 after buying an additional 172,795 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 45.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $250,130,000 after buying an additional 378,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in STERIS by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,213,037 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $249,352,000 after buying an additional 83,601 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.83.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was 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 now owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. The trade was a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock traded down $1.25 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $241.16. 464,079 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 549,583. The stock's fifty day moving average is $232.76 and its 200-day moving average is $222.69. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79. The stock has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.20 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given 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%.

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.