Amalgamated Bank Sells 4,595 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Amalgamated Bank lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 18.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 20,464 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 4,595 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,601,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,333,000 after purchasing an additional 24,377 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth about $1,351,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of STERIS by 5,199.4% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 65,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $14,494,000 after purchasing an additional 64,681 shares in the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 45,095 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $9,914,000 after purchasing an additional 5,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 976,402 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $208,491,000 after purchasing an additional 44,781 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total value of $1,061,333.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total transaction of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total value of $1,061,333.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.95% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock traded down $3.79 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $226.81. 635,803 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 492,172. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $217.04 and its 200-day moving average is $217.32. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $254.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.37 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.17. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.12 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 54.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. TheStreet upgraded STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 11th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $241.60.

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.