STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lowered its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,190 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 2,729 shares during the quarter. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.11% of STERIS worth $22,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in STERIS by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,303,625 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $556,786,000 after purchasing an additional 17,007 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 9.5% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $270,230,000 after purchasing an additional 96,336 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 171.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in STERIS by 1.5% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $194,309,000 after purchasing an additional 12,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $133,749,000 after purchasing an additional 6,334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of STE traded up $1.86 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $221.52. 258,472 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 483,237. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $197.82 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The firm's fifty day moving average is $213.38 and its 200-day moving average is $223.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.03 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.75.

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.