Czech National Bank Buys 1,260 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,089 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,260 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its position in STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. 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 Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE STE opened at $226.90 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $195.47 and a 52 week high of $248.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $237.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.80. 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 firm has a market cap of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 59.40 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.69%.

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.