STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Stock Holdings Lowered by Covestor Ltd

Covestor Ltd trimmed its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 55.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 365 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 453 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $89,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 112.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $222.23 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $231.12 and its 200-day moving average is $228.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.94 billion, a PE ratio of 50.74 and a beta of 0.85. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $195.47 and a 1-year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.15 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

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.