STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Harvey Investment Co. LLC

Harvey Investment Co. LLC grew its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,660 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 10,300 shares during the period. STERIS accounts for about 1.7% of Harvey Investment Co. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Harvey Investment Co. LLC owned 0.07% of STERIS worth $15,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in STERIS by 4,733.3% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. 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 report on Friday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.83.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE STE traded up $0.87 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $240.46. The company had a trading volume of 534,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,357. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.78 and a beta of 0.94. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.96.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend 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.