STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) SVP Cary L. Majors Sells 1,682 Shares

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE traded up $1.41 on Wednesday, reaching $217.47. 406,568 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 498,022. The firm has a market cap of $21.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.33 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $226.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.58. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $195.47 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of STERIS by 13.7% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,414,453,000 after acquiring an additional 778,613 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $556,786,000 after acquiring an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of STERIS by 29.7% in the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after acquiring an additional 263,383 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of STERIS by 9.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of STERIS by 12.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 840,194 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $184,439,000 after acquiring an additional 95,412 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

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.