STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 29.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,094 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,398 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 77.9% during the first 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 boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2,262.5% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 154.7% during the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE STE opened at $226.00 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $237.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $22.34 billion, a PE ratio of 59.16 and a beta of 0.84. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $195.47 and a 1 year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for 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 for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. On average, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders 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 1.01%. 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 presently 59.69%.

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.