Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Reduces Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. cut its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 7.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,800 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in STERIS were worth $8,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in STERIS by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 70.1% in the first 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the business'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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the business's 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 owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JMP Securities upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.83.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4%

STERIS stock traded down $0.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 540,879 shares, compared to its average volume of 548,329. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.09 and a beta of 0.94. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $233.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.10. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.58 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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