Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Sells 29,200 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lowered its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 561,568 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 29,200 shares during the quarter. STERIS makes up about 1.4% of Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. owned approximately 0.57% of STERIS worth $115,436,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 182.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

STE has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday. JMP Securities boosted their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $252.31 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $24.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.57 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.48. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.77%.

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.