3,425 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Purchased by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,425 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $831,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STE. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 112.7% in the 1st 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. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. The trade was a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STE opened at $220.12 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.26 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $230.37 and a 200-day moving average of $228.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

STERIS Profile

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.