Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires New Shares in STERIS plc $STE

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,913 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $460,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,999 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,586,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 3,305 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,319 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on STE shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.50.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.56, for a total transaction of $844,252.20. Following the transaction, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $170,299.80. The trade was a 83.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total transaction of $798,564.96. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. The trade was a 30.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $241.58 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $243.42 and its 200-day moving average is $238.39. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $253.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $23.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.99 and a beta of 1.02.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The business’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 year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

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.