Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Sells 1,729 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 1.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 106,461 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 1,729 shares during the quarter. STERIS comprises about 2.3% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.11% of STERIS worth $24,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 4,733.3% during the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 100.0% during 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 last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 66.7% during 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $238.63. The company had a trading volume of 741,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,077. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $200.98 and a fifty-two week high of $252.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.97. The firm has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 0.94.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 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 return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on STE. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities raised 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. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

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.