Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Sells 609 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,861 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 609 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,487,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in STERIS by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,041 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,333,000 after purchasing an additional 24,377 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter worth about $1,351,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 5,199.4% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 65,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,494,000 after buying an additional 64,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 45,095 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,914,000 after buying an additional 5,168 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $1.31 on Thursday, reaching $201.49. The company had a trading volume of 411,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 463,475. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.91 billion, a PE ratio of 35.29 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $180.54 and a 52-week high of $254.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $221.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.95.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

STE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, February 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.60.

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.