STERIS plc $STE Shares Acquired by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,746 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,515,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake 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 buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in STERIS during the 1st quarter worth $37,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 503.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:STE opened at $248.68 on Thursday. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $253.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $238.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.66. The company has a market capitalization of $24.49 billion, a PE ratio of 38.08 and a beta of 0.95.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on STE. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a “hold” rating and a $263.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp boosted their target price on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $1,909,667.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,448,929.62. This trade represents a 56.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total value of $798,564.96. Following the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. This represents a 30.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 18,709 shares of company stock worth $4,546,940 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

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.