Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Sells 29,200 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. trimmed its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 561,568 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 29,200 shares during the quarter. STERIS accounts for about 1.4% of Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. owned about 0.57% of STERIS worth $115,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $1,219,000. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth about $6,765,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 537.4% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 16,923 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,479,000 after purchasing an additional 14,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 56.9% in the 4th quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 16,391 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,369,000 after purchasing an additional 5,944 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of STE traded down $0.59 on Friday, reaching $243.21. The stock had a trading volume of 538,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 543,647. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.64 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.06. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $200.98 and a 12-month high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.00.

STERIS 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.