OneAscent Wealth Management LLC Sells 112 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

OneAscent Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,254 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 112 shares during the period. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in STERIS by 9.1% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,439,349 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,232,828,000 after buying an additional 452,146 shares during the last quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its position in STERIS by 165.3% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $534,400,000 after buying an additional 1,619,796 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in STERIS by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $483,775,000 after buying an additional 56,123 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in STERIS by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261,927 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $257,585,000 after buying an additional 172,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in STERIS by 45.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $250,130,000 after buying an additional 378,252 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on STE. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $263.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded STERIS from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.50.

STERIS Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE STE opened at $225.39 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $226.86. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.35 and a beta of 0.92.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,385 shares in the company, valued at $12,463,945.60. The trade was a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.