Premier Fund Managers Ltd Purchases 30,000 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Premier Fund Managers Ltd raised its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,000 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 30,000 shares during the quarter. STERIS accounts for about 2.0% of Premier Fund Managers Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Premier Fund Managers Ltd owned approximately 0.23% of STERIS worth $54,967,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. West Coast Financial LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in STERIS by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 763 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,916 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $421,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE:STE traded down $2.25 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $209.75. The stock had a trading volume of 297,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 492,375. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.40 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. 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 1.09%. STERIS's payout ratio is 52.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.