Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 3,580 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,359 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $6,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of STE. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in STERIS by 259.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 51,602 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $13,165,000 after purchasing an additional 37,228 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in STERIS by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,039,351 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $257,157,000 after acquiring an additional 89,250 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in STERIS by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 693,116 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $171,505,000 after acquiring an additional 34,981 shares during the period. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,480,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,163,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Down 2.9%

STE opened at $207.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $244.27. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $195.14 and a 1-year high of $269.44. The stock has a market cap of $20.34 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.95.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.During the same period last year, the business posted $2.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 8th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 8th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on STE shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of STERIS from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.20.

About STERIS

STERIS Corporation (NYSE: STE) is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.