MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Buys 362 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,021 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $3,178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Eventide Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.7% during the first quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 165,599 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $37,515,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Cinctive Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $2,366,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 5.7% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 180,620 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $40,938,000 after purchasing an additional 9,789 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 507.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 184,150 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,115,000 after purchasing an additional 153,821 shares during the period. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $295,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock opened at $250.08 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $237.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.09. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $253.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.63 billion, a PE ratio of 38.30 and a beta of 0.95.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly 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 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 the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,448,929.62. The trade was a 56.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total transaction of $994,455.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. The trade was a 15.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 18,709 shares of company stock worth $4,546,940. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 6th. JMP Securities increased their price target on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a “hold” rating and a $263.00 price target on the stock. 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.