Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $570,000 Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 85.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,597 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the first quarter worth $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its position in STERIS by 77.9% during the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE opened at $244.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.15 billion, a PE ratio of 64.09 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $234.02 and a 200-day moving average of $225.24. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.47 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 59.69%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp upped their price target on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.00.

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.