STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Holdings Raised by Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 14.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,492 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,439 shares during the period. STERIS accounts for about 0.7% of Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. owned approximately 0.05% of STERIS worth $11,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Park Edge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.0% in the first quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,709 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 975 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total transaction of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities boosted their price target on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $263.83.

STERIS Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE STE traded down $1.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $232.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 252,476 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,002. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $238.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $225.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44 and a beta of 0.92.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. The company 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 last year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

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.