American Trust Lowers Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

American Trust decreased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,563 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. American Trust’s holdings in STERIS were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in STERIS in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in STERIS by 154.7% in the second 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 last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the second quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, American National Bank purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 2nd quarter worth about $53,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on STE. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.50.

STERIS Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $214.27 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $221.14 and its 200 day moving average is $227.35. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $197.82 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 company has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.92 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.05%.

About STERIS

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.