MML Investors Services LLC Sells 1,152 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

MML Investors Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,239 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 1,152 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 13.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,414,453,000 after buying an additional 778,613 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 29.7% during the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after purchasing an additional 263,383 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 9.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,114,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $270,230,000 after purchasing an additional 96,336 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 12.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 840,194 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $184,439,000 after purchasing an additional 95,412 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.5% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 801,144 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $194,309,000 after purchasing an additional 12,005 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:STE opened at $214.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.80 and a 200-day moving average of $227.27. The company has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a PE ratio of 48.91 and a beta of 0.83. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 52.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.