STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Shares Purchased by Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC

Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,288 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the quarter. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $2,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of STE. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,537 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in STERIS by 286.3% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 761 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 38,074 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $8,354,000 after buying an additional 4,862 shares during the period. Strs Ohio grew its position in shares of STERIS by 3.6% during the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 51,978 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $11,405,000 after buying an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $292,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Up 6.2 %

STE opened at $223.11 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.81 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 plc has a one year low of $187.07 and a one year high of $254.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $217.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $215.97.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.17. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be given 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 0.93%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

STE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.