STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP decreased its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 28.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,741 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 6,212 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in STERIS were worth $3,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in STERIS by 154.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in STERIS in the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STERIS stock traded up $1.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $219.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 342,972 shares, compared to its average volume of 728,088. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $195.47 and a 52 week high of $248.24. The business's 50-day moving average price is $225.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $228.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market cap of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 50.01 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. STERIS's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.15 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This represents a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.