Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. Increases Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,219 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $7,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its position in STERIS by 77.9% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in STERIS by 112.7% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:STE opened at $227.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a PE ratio of 59.48 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.47 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.79.

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 business 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 business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s payout ratio is 59.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp raised their target price on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.