STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) CAO Karen L. Burton Sells 7,900 Shares

Key Points

• Karen L. Burton, the Chief Accounting Officer of STERIS plc, sold 7,900 shares of the company's stock for a total of $1,909,667, reducing her ownership by 56.86%.
• STERIS recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.63 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.0% and reflecting a boost from the previous quarterly dividend.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for STERIS, with an average target price of $273.50 and several upgrades from various firms predicting stock growth.

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,448,929.62. The trade was a 56.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE traded up $2.10 on Tuesday, hitting $243.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 341,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 723,378. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $234.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.32 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a one year low of $200.98 and a one year high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from STERIS's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. KeyCorp boosted their target price on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, JMP Securities upped 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $273.50.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 416.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in STERIS by 4,733.3% during the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in STERIS during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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