Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Buys 4,311 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 111.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,196 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,311 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,140 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.7% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,691 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,652,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 48.7% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 88,668 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $19,934,000 after buying an additional 29,046 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 9.6% during the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,787 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 6,570 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now 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. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $225.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.03 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $227.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.49. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $195.47 and a 1 year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released 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 net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 13.85%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.02 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.