STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA cut its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 48,708 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 2,460 shares during the period. STERIS accounts for approximately 1.3% of Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in STERIS were worth $11,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 77.9% in the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 112.7% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE stock opened at $224.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.61 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $226.26. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 56.58%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.