STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Apollon Wealth Management LLC

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,588 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 16,055 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,639,000 after buying an additional 4,251 shares during the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 36,197 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $8,204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 42.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,518 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,042 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the 1st quarter worth approximately $267,000. Finally, Callahan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Callahan Advisors LLC now owns 41,376 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $9,378,000 after purchasing an additional 2,807 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total transaction of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE stock opened at $225.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $238.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.55. The company has a market cap of $22.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $252.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 36.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of STERIS from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.50.

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.