Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. Has $13.35 Million Holdings in STERIS plc $STE

Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. cut its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,587 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 10,071 shares during the period. STERIS makes up approximately 2.7% of Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of STERIS worth $13,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 416.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the second quarter worth approximately $68,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $235.75 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $243.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.16. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $253.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.22 billion, a PE ratio of 36.10 and a beta of 1.01.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 18th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,495 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.56, for a total transaction of $844,252.20. Following the sale, the director directly owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $170,299.80. This trade represents a 83.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total value of $994,455.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. The trade was a 15.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,868 shares of company stock valued at $4,585,389. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.