Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Purchases Shares of 917 STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 917 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $28,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in STERIS by 154.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. This represents a 35.21 % 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. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on STE. KeyCorp upped 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 restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $214.34 on Monday. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.94 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $227.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

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.