Private Advisor Group LLC Takes $379,000 Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,726 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $379,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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 valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Park Edge Advisors LLC increased 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 valued at $969,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 716 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in STERIS by 1.1% in the third quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 5,285 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total value of $267,312.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,677 shares in the company, valued at $1,546,660.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total transaction of $267,312.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,546,660.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at $2,639,085.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477 in the last 90 days. 0.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $230.60 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 3.06 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The firm has a market cap of $22.79 billion, a PE ratio of 60.37 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $217.13. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $195.47 and a 1-year high of $254.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.12 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on STE. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. KeyCorp began coverage on STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, February 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 11th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.60.

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.