STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by BDF Gestion

BDF Gestion trimmed its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,659 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,386 shares during the period. BDF Gestion’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $220.66 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $197.82 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.38 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $211.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.77.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

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.