Glassman Wealth Services Buys Shares of 173 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Glassman Wealth Services purchased a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 173 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $38,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STE. Norges Bank bought a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter worth $220,954,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in STERIS by 419.1% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 964,935 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $211,430,000 after acquiring an additional 779,038 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 586,380 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $128,663,000 after acquiring an additional 216,113 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,687,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 604,952 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $132,999,000 after purchasing an additional 113,936 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, April 12th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $239.60.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $206.28. 384,283 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 458,173. The stock has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.91 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $219.61 and its 200-day moving average is $216.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $185.22 and a 12 month high of $254.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.43%.

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.