SPC Financial Inc. Takes $217,000 Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

SPC Financial Inc. bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 895 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in STERIS by 13.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,414,453,000 after buying an additional 778,613 shares during the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $333,988,000 after acquiring an additional 282,387 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after acquiring an additional 263,383 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1,946.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 270,311 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $59,344,000 after acquiring an additional 257,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in STERIS by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $390,880,000 after acquiring an additional 120,616 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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 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 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other 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 value of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of STE opened at $225.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $235.86 and its 200-day moving average is $225.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a PE ratio of 55.83 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for 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 company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.58%.

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.