STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Sold by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Mackenzie Financial Corp cut its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 96.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,513 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 273,635 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,091,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in STERIS by 419.1% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 964,935 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $211,430,000 after purchasing an additional 779,038 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 586,380 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $128,663,000 after purchasing an additional 216,113 shares during the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,687,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 65.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 244,659 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $53,683,000 after purchasing an additional 96,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 718,633 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $157,682,000 after purchasing an additional 81,828 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.60.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STE opened at $205.95 on Wednesday. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $180.54 and a fifty-two week high of $254.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $222.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $217.16. The company has a market cap of $20.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.07 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 36.43%.

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.