3,626 Shares in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Acquired by Duality Advisers LP

Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,626 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $694,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 0.7% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,327 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,706,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 25.6% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,919 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in STERIS by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 13,523 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in STERIS by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,345 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,525,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,786,586,000 after buying an additional 143,253 shares in the last quarter. 92.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Price Performance

STE opened at $229.50 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $227.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.82. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $159.21 and a 12-month high of $254.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.29, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $22.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 188.11 and a beta of 0.85.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The medical equipment provider reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.14. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.75% and a net margin of 2.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 EPS. STERIS’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 5th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 170.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on STERIS from $206.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. JMP Securities increased their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Stephens increased their price target on STERIS from $240.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on STERIS from $254.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.60.

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.