LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Reduces Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lessened its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 54,803 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,960 shares during the period. STERIS comprises 1.5% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $11,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $67,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 291 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in STERIS by 45.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 583 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.50.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $209.50 on Monday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The stock has a market cap of $20.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.83 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $212.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.82.

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. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.1 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

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.