928 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Bought by Ballentine Partners LLC

Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 928 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in STERIS by 112.7% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:STE opened at $246.48 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $195.47 and a 1 year high of $247.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $232.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.52 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.93%. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on STE. KeyCorp boosted their price target on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

About STERIS

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.