STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 14.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 256,271 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 31,530 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 0.26% of STERIS worth $58,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in STERIS by 4,733.3% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in STERIS by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 70.1% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 262 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on 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 owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. The trade was a 25.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of STERIS 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 $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $263.83.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $236.15 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.09 and a beta of 0.94. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $233.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $223.10. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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