STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Edgestream Partners L.P.

Edgestream Partners L.P. lowered its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 17.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,656 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,188 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in STERIS in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in STERIS by 77.9% in the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 1.0 %

STE stock opened at $236.98 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $236.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.55. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $23.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.04 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.49.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 59.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.00.

STERIS Company 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.