iA Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 254 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,575 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 254 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,414,453,000 after acquiring an additional 778,613 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in STERIS by 7,418.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $75,132,000 after purchasing an additional 305,651 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 263,383 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 1,946.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 270,311 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $59,344,000 after purchasing an additional 257,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,251,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $215.63 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.28 billion, a PE ratio of 49.23 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $197.82 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The business has a 50 day moving average of $222.40 and a 200-day moving average of $227.65.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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