Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,148 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 917 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of STE. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price target on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.00.

STERIS Stock Down 1.3 %

STERIS stock opened at $221.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 54.97 and a beta of 0.84. 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 one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $235.22 and a 200 day moving average of $226.21.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 56.58%.

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.