STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by XTX Topco Ltd

XTX Topco Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 19.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,119 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 757 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd’s holdings in STERIS were worth $685,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new stake in STERIS during the 2nd quarter worth $1,021,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 37.4% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 31,816 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $6,949,000 after purchasing an additional 8,668 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 3.2% in the second quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,916 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $421,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 11.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 6,408 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,407,000 after buying an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cranbrook Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $454,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on STE. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE stock opened at $236.98 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.04 and a beta of 0.83. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.50.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 59.69%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.