Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Sells 215 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lowered its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,737 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 215 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. owned 0.11% of STERIS worth $23,433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of STE. 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,966 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $220,954,000. UBS Group AG boosted its position in STERIS by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 162,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $35,785,000 after purchasing an additional 18,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in STERIS by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 1,238 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $239.46 on Friday. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $235.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a PE ratio of 62.69 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.