Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Boosts Stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,685 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $24,620,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 58,841 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,235,000 after purchasing an additional 4,494 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 3.2% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 106,346 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $23,909,000 after acquiring an additional 3,342 shares in the last quarter. BDF Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,644,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted 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 acquiring an additional 120,616 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of STE stock opened at $225.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a PE ratio of 56.03 and a beta of 0.85. 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 plc has a 1 year low of $195.47 and a 1 year high of $248.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $233.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $227.40.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.02 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 56.58%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, 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 value 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on STE shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

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.