Hengehold Capital Management LLC Acquires 147 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Hengehold Capital Management LLC increased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,078 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of STE. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in STERIS by 13.7% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,414,453,000 after acquiring an additional 778,613 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $333,988,000 after purchasing an additional 282,387 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of STERIS by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $251,663,000 after purchasing an additional 263,383 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1,946.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 270,311 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $59,344,000 after buying an additional 257,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in STERIS by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $390,880,000 after buying an additional 120,616 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on STE. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock opened at $225.00 on Friday. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $195.47 and a 12-month high of $248.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.83 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $235.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.91.

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

STERIS Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.58%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at $139,493.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.