Barclays PLC Sells 30,086 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Barclays PLC cut its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,473 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 30,086 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.13% of STERIS worth $31,645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of STE. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in STERIS by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares during the period. LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth $1,473,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 13.2% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 4,283 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $2.19 on Friday, hitting $214.22. The company had a trading volume of 526,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 500,648. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $220.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $227.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.91 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 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on STE. StockNews.com lowered 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 note on Friday, November 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $262.50.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

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.