Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $1.14 Million Stock Position in STERIS plc $STE

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 64.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,752 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,869 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 2nd quarter valued at about $340,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 43.8% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,836 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 227,383 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $54,622,000 after purchasing an additional 7,491 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 56,697 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $13,620,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,422 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STE opened at $235.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 1.01. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $253.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $244.11 and a 200-day moving average of $237.83. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 11.61%.The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other STERIS 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,096 shares in the company, valued at $12,356,034.72. This trade represents a 0.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mohsen Sohi sold 4,110 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.96, for a total value of $994,455.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,361 shares in the company, valued at $5,410,467.56. The trade was a 15.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

STE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 14th. KeyCorp upped their price target on STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.50.

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.