Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Purchases Shares of 619 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 619 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $150,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in STE. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in STERIS by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,414,453,000 after purchasing an additional 778,613 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in STERIS by 7.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $390,880,000 after buying an additional 120,616 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its stake in STERIS by 23.5% during the first quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $333,988,000 after acquiring an additional 282,387 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 29.7% in the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after acquiring an additional 263,383 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,017,888 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $223,467,000 after purchasing an additional 8,601 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE STE opened at $221.54 on Wednesday. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $235.22 and a 200-day moving average of $226.21. The company has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 54.97 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of STERIS 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 directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

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.