Aberdeen Group plc Has $19.10 Million Position in STERIS plc $STE

Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 13.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 79,520 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after acquiring an additional 9,357 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.08% of STERIS worth $19,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in STERIS by 122.5% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,832 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $642,000 after buying an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership acquired a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,958,000. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter valued at about $261,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake 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 valued at $23,229,000 after buying an additional 24,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC grew its stake in STERIS by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on STE. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.50.

STERIS Trading Up 1.0%

STE opened at $237.92 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $244.75 and its 200-day moving average is $236.07. STERIS plc has a 1-year low of $200.98 and a 1-year high of $253.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $23.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43 and a beta of 1.01.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 4th were given a $0.63 dividend. This is an increase 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 1.1%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.59%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total value of $1,909,667.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares in the company, valued at $1,448,929.62. The trade was a 56.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total transaction of $798,564.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,799,762.04. This represents a 30.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,868 shares of company stock worth $4,585,389. Company insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

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.

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