GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires New Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 502 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $110,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in STERIS by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,218,012 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $267,256,000 after acquiring an additional 6,101 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in STERIS by 419.1% in the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 964,935 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $211,430,000 after acquiring an additional 779,038 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in STERIS by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 931,621 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $204,416,000 after acquiring an additional 33,547 shares in the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 861,628 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $189,058,000 after purchasing an additional 12,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 728,376 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $160,133,000 after purchasing an additional 6,150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on STE shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, April 12th. TheStreet raised STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.60.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock opened at $203.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71 and a beta of 0.79. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $181.78 and a 12 month high of $254.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $221.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $216.67.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.43%.

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.