GAMMA Investing LLC Buys Shares of 502 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 502 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $110,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,022 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,888 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,409 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $969,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 716 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 8,944 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,962,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on STE shares. TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, KeyCorp began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.60.

STERIS Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $203.90 on Monday. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $181.78 and a 52 week high of $254.00. The company’s 50 day moving average is $221.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71 and a beta of 0.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The company’s revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. Equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.43%.

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.