Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Cuts Stock Position in STERIS plc $STE

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,543,674 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 23,564 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $385,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 30.2% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 164 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the third quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in STERIS by 0.3% during the third quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 12,329 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,051,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in STERIS by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,953 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $731,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.3%

STE stock opened at $212.98 on Wednesday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $209.61 and a one year high of $269.44. The firm has a market cap of $20.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $225.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.48.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 8th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 35.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on STE shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Company Profile

STERIS Corporation (NYSE: STE) is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.