Aureus Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Aureus Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 30,516 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Aureus Asset Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $7,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in STERIS by 8.7% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 24.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,252,000 after acquiring an additional 2,647 shares during the period. BDF Gestion purchased a new position in STERIS in the second quarter worth approximately $2,644,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in STERIS by 52.0% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,928,000 after acquiring an additional 4,132 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in STERIS by 11.0% in the second quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60,302 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,727,000 after acquiring an additional 5,999 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:STE opened at $219.06 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 50.01 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $225.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.23. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. STERIS’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. This trade represents a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler upgraded STERIS from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

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.