STERIS plc $STE Stock Position Decreased by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Key Points

• Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC has reduced its holdings in STERIS plc by 1.2%, selling 1,255 shares and currently owning 105,206 shares, which accounts for 2.4% of its portfolio.
• Multiple institutional investors increased their positions in STERIS, with Aberdeen Group plc growing its stake by 13.3% during the same quarter.
• STERIS recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.63, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.1% and a payout ratio of 38.59%.

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 1.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,206 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 1,255 shares during the period. STERIS accounts for approximately 2.4% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned 0.11% of STERIS worth $25,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in shares of STERIS by 13.3% during the 2nd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 79,520 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $19,102,000 after buying an additional 9,357 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of STERIS by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,230 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $6,781,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services grew its position in shares of STERIS by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 13,022 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,128,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $441,000. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in shares of STERIS by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,948 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $1,909,667.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,448,929.62. This represents a 56.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,495 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.56, for a total transaction of $844,252.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $170,299.80. This represents a 83.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $273.50.

STERIS Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $235.67 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $244.33 and a 200-day moving average of $235.80. The firm has a market cap of $23.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.09 and a beta of 1.01. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $253.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.59%.

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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