Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Sells 400 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,451 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 122.5% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,832 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,559 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 23.6% in the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $273,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 503.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 17.1% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 5.1% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,951 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,029,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.4%

STERIS stock opened at $225.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $252.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $238.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $226.55.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.58 EPS. Equities 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. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on STE. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised STERIS from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price target on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.50.

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.