Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Lowers Stock Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lowered its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 34.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,963 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 5,230 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,526,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in STERIS by 423.8% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in STERIS by 115.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in STERIS by 342.3% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on STE shares. Weiss Ratings lowered STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.20.

STERIS Trading Down 2.9%

STE opened at $207.40 on Friday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.14 and a one year high of $269.44. The company has a market cap of $20.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $224.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.27.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.15%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total value of $734,876.58. Following the transaction, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Profile

STERIS Corporation (NYSE: STE) is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.