902 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Acquired by Values First Advisors Inc.

Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 902 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 778,613 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in STERIS by 7.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $390,880,000 after acquiring an additional 120,616 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 23.5% in the first quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $333,988,000 after acquiring an additional 282,387 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of STERIS by 29.7% during the second quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after purchasing an additional 263,383 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted 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 valued at $223,467,000 after purchasing an additional 8,601 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE STE opened at $227.23 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $234.93 and its 200-day moving average is $226.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a PE ratio of 56.38 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’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 transaction of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’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 transaction, the director now directly 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. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Company 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.