Swedbank AB Purchases Shares of 116,478 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Swedbank AB acquired a new position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 116,478 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $28,251,000. Swedbank AB owned about 0.12% of STERIS as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 4.1% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 71,335 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $17,302,000 after acquiring an additional 2,797 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter worth about $214,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 9,944 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,412,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 551,453 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $133,749,000 after buying an additional 6,334 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth about $223,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on STE shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

STERIS Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE STE opened at $216.15 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $227.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $228.76. The stock has a market cap of $21.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.35 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

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.