STERIS plc $STE Shares Bought by Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc.

Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. raised its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,867 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in STERIS by 4,733.3% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 503.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total value of $798,564.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. This trade represents a 30.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total transaction of $994,455.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,410,467.56. This trade represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,709 shares of company stock worth $4,546,940 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Saturday, September 27th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

STERIS Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE STE opened at $242.54 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.36. The company has a market capitalization of $23.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14 and a beta of 1.01. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $200.98 and a 12 month high of $253.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The company’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

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

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.