NBW Capital LLC Sells 131 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

NBW Capital LLC trimmed its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,728 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. NBW Capital LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $5,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in STERIS by 9.7% in the third 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 period. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in 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 period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $1,351,000. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in STERIS by 5,199.4% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 12.9% in the fourth 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 period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $200.37. 270,857 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 457,358. The company has a market cap of $19.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43. STERIS plc has a one year low of $180.54 and a one year high of $254.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $224.59 and a 200 day moving average of $217.71.

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

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.43%.

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.