STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 44.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,889 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 5,500 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd's holdings in STERIS were worth $1,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in STE. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in 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 worth $1,414,453,000 after buying an additional 778,613 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in STERIS by 29.7% in 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 buying an additional 263,383 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $270,230,000 after buying an additional 96,336 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in STERIS by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 840,194 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $184,439,000 after buying an additional 95,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in STERIS by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $194,309,000 after buying an additional 12,005 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $1.41 during trading on Thursday, reaching $217.47. 406,716 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 498,022. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $225.36 and a 200-day moving average of $228.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.65 and a beta of 0.85.

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

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have 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 an average price target of $253.00.

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.