Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 9,423 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 62.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,615 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 9,423 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,965 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in STERIS by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,402 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $4,399,000 after acquiring an additional 1,313 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 593.0% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,385 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 7,175 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,369 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its holdings in STERIS by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 57,188 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $11,756,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $5.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $252.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,623,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 543,886. The firm has a market cap of $24.77 billion, a PE ratio of 53.53 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.20.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. STERIS's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of a number of research reports. JMP Securities upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $265.00.

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.