Diversify Wealth Management LLC Purchases 1,379 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 23.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,373 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after buying an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC's holdings in STERIS were worth $1,652,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 165.3% in the 4th quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $534,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,619,796 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $483,775,000 after purchasing an additional 56,123 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261,927 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $257,585,000 after purchasing an additional 172,795 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 45.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $250,130,000 after purchasing an additional 378,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in STERIS by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,213,037 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $249,352,000 after purchasing an additional 83,601 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on STE. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on STERIS in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.83.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STE traded down $2.80 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $227.92. 431,191 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 550,675. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $238.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.89. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The company has a market cap of $22.42 billion, a PE ratio of 36.76 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.96.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. STERIS's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. STERIS's payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This represents a 53.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,385 shares in the company, valued at $12,463,945.60. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

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.