iA Global Asset Management Inc. Buys 791 Shares of STERIS plc $STE

iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,530 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 791 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in STERIS by 416.0% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth $45,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the first quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in STERIS during the second quarter worth $68,000. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 3,204 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.24, for a total value of $798,564.96. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,221 shares in the company, valued at $1,799,762.04. This represents a 30.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Karen L. Burton sold 7,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.73, for a total transaction of $1,909,667.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,448,929.62. This trade represents a 56.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 18,868 shares of company stock valued at $4,585,389 over the last 90 days. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE stock opened at $237.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $243.56 and a 200-day moving average of $238.26. The company has a market cap of $23.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.53. STERIS plc has a one year low of $200.98 and a one year high of $253.00.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.36 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 11.61% and a return on equity of 14.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 18th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on STE. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $276.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 14th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $277.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.50.

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.