STERIS plc $STE Shares Bought by Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,230 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. STERIS makes up approximately 1.7% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of STE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 4,733.3% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 145 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in STERIS during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in STERIS during the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 503.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. KeyCorp raised their target price on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.50.

STERIS Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:STE opened at $235.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $253.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.09 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $244.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.80.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.59%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total value of $994,455.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 22,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,410,467.56. This represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $1,909,667.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,448,929.62. This represents a 56.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About STERIS

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.