Fmr LLC Has $21.27 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

FMR LLC lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,683 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 3,107 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned 0.09% of STERIS worth $21,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 24.6% during the third 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 grew its holdings in STERIS by 52.0% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 4,132 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 11.0% during the second quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60,302 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $13,727,000 after purchasing an additional 5,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP acquired a new position in STERIS during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,473,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

STERIS stock traded down $1.41 on Tuesday, hitting $214.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 555,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 499,750. The firm has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a P/E 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $221.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.55. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, 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 through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. 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. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $262.50.

STERIS 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.