WD Rutherford LLC Has $504,000 Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

WD Rutherford LLC decreased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 16.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,295 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 445 shares during the quarter. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at $2,223,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 9,092 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,999,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 70.3% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 35,972 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $7,908,000 after acquiring an additional 14,850 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in STERIS by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 180,934 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $39,778,000 after purchasing an additional 2,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth about $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at $139,493.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STE. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.60.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock traded up $1.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $236.01. The company had a trading volume of 258,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 481,220. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $195.47 and a fifty-two week high of $243.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $226.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $23.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.78 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.17 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s payout ratio is 59.69%.

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.