STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,692 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,566 shares during the period. STERIS comprises about 1.2% of Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC owned about 0.07% of STERIS worth $16,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 182.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in STERIS by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JMP Securities boosted their price target on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.83.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock opened at $241.16 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $232.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.69. The stock has a market cap of $23.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.20 and a beta of 0.94. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $200.98 and a 12-month high of $252.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

STERIS Company 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.