STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by WD Rutherford LLC

WD Rutherford LLC lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,740 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 240 shares during the quarter. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $603,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 419.1% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 964,935 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $211,430,000 after buying an additional 779,038 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 586,380 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $128,663,000 after acquiring an additional 216,113 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $32,687,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 60.2% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 268,029 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $58,926,000 after purchasing an additional 100,734 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 65.5% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 244,659 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $53,683,000 after purchasing an additional 96,800 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $203.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.80. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $181.78 and a 52 week high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43. The company has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71 and a beta of 0.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.02 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, February 9th. TheStreet upgraded STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.60.

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.