ProShare Advisors LLC Has $4.24 Million Stock Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,330 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,930 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 49.6% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings 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 valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 23,240 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $5,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in STERIS by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 25,698 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $5,650,000 after purchasing an additional 952 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in STERIS by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 46,670 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $10,260,000 after buying an additional 1,841 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.00.

STERIS Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $236.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $23.39 billion, a PE ratio of 61.95 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.73. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 59.69%.

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.