Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 532 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,775 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 532 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,787,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,041 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.1% in the 4th 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. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter worth about $1,351,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 5,199.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $9,914,000 after purchasing an additional 5,168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $239.60.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $207.82 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.53 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40 and a beta of 0.81. 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 1 year low of $185.22 and a 1 year high of $254.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $218.46 and its 200-day moving average is $216.09.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued 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 net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. Equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.43%.

STERIS 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.