Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Sells 23,001 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 73.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,222 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 23,001 shares during the quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,690,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 165.3% during the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $534,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619,796 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at about $238,836,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at about $223,987,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $250,130,000 after purchasing an additional 378,252 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 4,534.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 219,032 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,024,000 after purchasing an additional 214,306 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 1.1%

STE stock opened at $243.61 on Friday. 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 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $23.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.72 and a beta of 0.96. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $225.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup restated an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JMP Securities boosted 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. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.00.

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.