Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 4,066 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,416 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 4,066 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.06% of STERIS worth $13,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,984 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,119,643 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $230,160,000 after purchasing an additional 5,419 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in STERIS by 130.2% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 28,816 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $5,923,000 after purchasing an additional 16,300 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in STERIS by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 14,212 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $561,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. The trade was a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $1.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $241.16. 464,079 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 549,583. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $252.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $232.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $222.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.20 and a beta of 0.94.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the subject of several research reports. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.