STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Bought by Marks Group Wealth Management Inc

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,197 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc's holdings in STERIS were worth $8,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 122.5% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,832 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,559 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 23.6% during the first quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,203 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 503.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 17.1% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,071 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in STERIS by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,951 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $2,029,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on STE shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of STERIS from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $266.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total transaction 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 represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $227.48. The stock had a trading volume of 552,901 shares, compared to its average volume of 555,343. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $238.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.28. STERIS plc has a fifty-two week low of $200.98 and a fifty-two week high of $252.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.69 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a net margin of 11.26% and a return on equity of 14.21%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.77%.

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.