Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Has $3.09 Million Position in STERIS plc $STE

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,848 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 50.4% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 1,905 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the first quarter valued at $241,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 12.7% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,671 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 302,505 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $68,563,000 after acquiring an additional 47,995 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 18.6% during the 1st quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $240.58 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.50. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $253.00. The firm has a market cap of $23.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.84 and a beta of 1.01.

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

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 4th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 38.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.56, for a total value of $844,252.20. Following the sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $170,299.80. The trade was a 83.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total transaction of $798,564.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 7,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. This trade represents a 30.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,709 shares of company stock worth $4,546,940. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. KeyCorp lifted 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

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.