Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Sells 5,500 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lowered its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,889 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 5,500 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. This represents a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

STERIS Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $217.47 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $225.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $228.51. The company has a market cap of $21.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.65 and a beta of 0.85. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders 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 1.05%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.00.

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.