STERIS plc $STE Shares Acquired by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,763 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,182 shares during the period. STERIS makes up approximately 2.7% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned 0.11% of STERIS worth $24,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 115.4% in the fourth 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 during the period. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 423.8% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $215.76. The company had a trading volume of 582,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 800,373. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $195.14 and a 1-year high of $269.44. The firm has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $211.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.86 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.300 EPS. Research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 11.18 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 (DPR) is 31.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.00.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, Director Richard C. Breeden sold 1,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.51, for a total value of $310,284.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 38,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,163,347.64. This represents a 3.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 3,054 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.64, for a total value of $655,510.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,021 shares in the company, valued at $13,956,107.44. This represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 7,328 shares of company stock worth $1,554,051 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

About STERIS

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.