241 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Purchased by American National Bank

American National Bank acquired a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 241 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $53,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in STERIS in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 77.9% during the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.60.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $0.59 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $233.79. 185,128 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 481,788. The company has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.33 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $226.32 and a 200 day moving average of $223.85. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $243.37.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 54.45%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.