World Investment Advisors Sells 134 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

World Investment Advisors lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,559 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 134 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in STERIS were worth $5,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 3.2% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 31,337 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $7,528,000 after buying an additional 969 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 0.5% during the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 14,711 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,534,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its holdings in STERIS by 11.5% during the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 15,466 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,715,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in STERIS during the second quarter worth $1,471,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in STERIS by 3.4% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 14,924 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,585,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.50.

STERIS Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $236.49 on Thursday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $200.98 and a one year high of $253.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $244.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.29 billion, a PE ratio of 36.22 and a beta of 1.01.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%.The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 38.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In related news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $1,909,667.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,448,929.62. This represents a 56.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total value of $994,455.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. This trade represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389 in the last three months. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.