AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Invests $1.47 Million in STERIS plc $STE

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,122 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,471,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 416.0% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 503.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total value of $798,564.96. Following the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. The trade was a 30.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $1,909,667.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,448,929.62. This represents a 56.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. KeyCorp raised their price target on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.50.

STERIS Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of STE stock opened at $240.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.73 billion, a PE ratio of 36.90 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.22. STERIS plc has a 1 year low of $200.98 and a 1 year high of $253.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $244.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $237.57.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. STERIS’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 4th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 38.59%.

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.