Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Purchases 647 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,333 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $4,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 122.5% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,832 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the period. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the first quarter worth about $25,958,000. Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in STERIS by 31.9% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 102,488 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $23,229,000 after purchasing an additional 24,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 503.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock opened at $240.25 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $200.98 and a 52 week high of $253.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.79 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were issued a $0.63 dividend. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.59%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 159 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.82, for a total transaction of $38,449.38. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,356,034.72. This represents a 0.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total value of $798,564.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,762.04. This represents a 30.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

STERIS 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.