Simon Quick Advisors LLC Purchases 415 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 10.8% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,268 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 182.7% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a “hold” rating and a $263.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.83.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.6%

STE stock opened at $242.20 on Friday. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $200.98 and a fifty-two week high of $252.79. The business’s 50-day moving average is $231.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. The company has a market cap of $23.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.42 and a beta of 0.94.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.77%.

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.