Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 364 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,406 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in STERIS by 9.7% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,041 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,747 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,333,000 after buying an additional 24,377 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. acquired a new position in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,351,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 5,199.4% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 65,925 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $14,494,000 after buying an additional 64,681 shares during the period. Finally, Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 45,095 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $9,914,000 after buying an additional 5,168 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $212.87 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $217.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.01. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $185.22 and a 52-week high of $254.00. The firm has a market cap of $21.03 billion, a PE ratio of 37.28 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is 36.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

STE has been the topic of several analyst reports. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. TheStreet raised STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.60.

STERIS Company 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.