Wedmont Private Capital Acquires New Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,092 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in STERIS by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 182.7% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 220 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of STE traded up $1.46 on Thursday, reaching $242.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 360,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 549,851. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.83 billion, a PE ratio of 51.42 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $231.51 and a 200-day moving average of $222.33.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 8.66%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. STERIS's payout ratio is presently 36.77%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total value of $3,208,026.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. The trade was a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 51,385 shares of the company's stock, 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. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on STE. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $263.00 price target for the company. JMP Securities upped their price objective on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.83.

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.