Czech National Bank Purchases 1,450 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 6.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,016 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in STERIS were worth $5,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avity Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the second quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Park Edge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 10.8% in the second quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 5,216 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after buying an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of STERIS by 12.4% in the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 250,278 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $56,726,000 after buying an additional 27,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 0.3% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 28,746 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $6,515,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a “hold” rating and a $263.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. This trade represents a 15.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $1,448,929.62. The trade was a 56.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,709 shares of company stock worth $4,546,940. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $250.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 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 $24.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.40 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $238.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a $0.63 dividend. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.