STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Holdings Trimmed by HM Payson & Co.

HM Payson & Co. decreased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 936 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 140 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NBW Capital LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. NBW Capital LLC now owns 28,139 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $6,326,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 32,704 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $7,341,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Maxwell Wealth Strategies Inc. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 445.3% during the 1st quarter. Maxwell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 6,429 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 5,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 53.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 4,164 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, July 26th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up previously from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,639,085.97. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total value of $1,061,333.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at $2,639,085.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 7,762 shares of company stock worth $1,798,477. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE traded down $3.81 on Monday, hitting $238.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 284,723 shares, compared to its average volume of 482,116. The company has a current ratio of 3.08, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $224.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.42 and a beta of 0.83. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $242.91.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.16 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.