New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 2,000 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,837 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.05% of STERIS worth $11,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its holdings in STERIS by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 15,569 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,200,000 after purchasing an additional 2,181 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in STERIS by 1,563.4% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,400 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $13,855,000 after purchasing an additional 63,348 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth about $863,000. Xponance Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 13,964 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth about $638,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $266.50.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of STE traded up $0.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $225.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,721,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 564,453. The company has a fifty day moving average of $238.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.70. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79. The company has a market cap of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. 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 analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. STERIS's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. STERIS's payout ratio is currently 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.