Whittier Trust Co. Has $1.27 Million Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Whittier Trust Co. lessened its stake in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,237 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 103 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $1,270,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. West Coast Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 2.8% in the third quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.8% in the second quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 77.9% in the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in STERIS by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 763 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 16.5% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of STE opened at $221.54 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $226.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.47 and a 52-week high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.97 and a beta of 0.84.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 56.58%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total transaction of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,710. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.