Consolidated Planning Corp Boosts Stock Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Consolidated Planning Corp raised its position in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,270 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 66.5% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,085 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $896,000 after acquiring an additional 1,632 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 46.7% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 17,243 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,783,000 after purchasing an additional 5,490 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 32.0% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 94,148 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $20,688,000 after purchasing an additional 22,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 190.3% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,122 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,635,000 after purchasing an additional 13,845 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of STE traded up $2.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $203.90. 318,142 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 558,812. The firm has a market cap of $20.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.71 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $221.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.80. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $181.78 and a 52-week high of $254.00. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.02 earnings per share. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on STE. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet upgraded STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.60.

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.