STERIS plc $STE Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 14.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,662 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 9,029 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.06% of STERIS worth $12,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 67.2% in the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 3,440 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $707,000 after purchasing an additional 1,383 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $993,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in STERIS by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,106 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,255,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in STERIS by 219.9% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 6,888 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,416,000 after buying an additional 4,735 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE opened at $245.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $234.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.67. The company has a market cap of $24.18 billion, a PE ratio of 37.60 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This is a positive change from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is 34.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on STE. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. KeyCorp upped their target price on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, JMP Securities increased their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $273.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,495 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.56, for a total transaction of $844,252.20. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,299.80. The trade was a 83.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 45,959 shares of company stock worth $11,231,764. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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