New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 15,398 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 144,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 15,398 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in STERIS were worth $31,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter worth $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $49,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at about $54,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $201.49 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $180.54 and a 1 year high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $221.73 and its 200 day moving average is $216.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.29 and a beta of 0.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 36.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on STE. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, February 9th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.60.

STERIS Company 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.