STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Stake Cut by Natixis Advisors LLC

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 150,612 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 11,124 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.15% of STERIS worth $36,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STERIS stock traded down $3.08 on Monday, hitting $217.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 599,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,166. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.47 and a 52-week high of $248.24. 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 fifty day moving average price of $230.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.59. The company has a market capitalization of $21.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.20 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.15 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. 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 yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,603,710. This trade represents a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised shares of STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.00.

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.