American Trust Sells 95 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

American Trust decreased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,563 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in STERIS were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 778,613 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $556,786,000 after buying an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in STERIS by 29.7% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $270,230,000 after acquiring an additional 96,336 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 12.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 840,194 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $184,439,000 after acquiring an additional 95,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock opened at $214.27 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $221.14 and its 200-day moving average is $227.35. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.15 billion, a PE ratio of 48.92 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value 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 approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STE has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler raised 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.50.

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.