Natixis Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 14.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,736 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 27,197 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.16% of STERIS worth $35,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STE. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter valued at $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on STE. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Stephens reiterated 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.60.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $241.10 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $243.37. The company has a market cap of $23.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.12 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $229.43 and its 200 day moving average is $224.53.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.69%.

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.