Aristides Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 1,123 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,123 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STE. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 8.3% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 58,841 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,235,000 after buying an additional 4,494 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its position in STERIS by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 106,346 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $23,909,000 after acquiring an additional 3,342 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $46,333,000 after buying an additional 24,377 shares during the last quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP grew its position in shares of STERIS by 80.0% in the 4th quarter. Caden Capital Partners LP now owns 82,312 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $18,096,000 after buying an additional 36,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,351,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of STE stock traded up $5.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $232.79. 329,376 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 405,734. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.47 and a 52-week high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 3.08 and a quick ratio of 2.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $223.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.94 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.17. STERIS had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 13.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 12th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 54.45%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jacqueline B. Kosecoff sold 4,584 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.53, for a total transaction of $1,061,333.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 15th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.60.

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.