STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Stock Position Boosted by Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 292.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,885 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,895 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in STERIS in the first quarter worth $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 2.1 %

STE stock traded down $4.91 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $234.27. The stock had a trading volume of 511,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 487,593. The company has a market capitalization of $23.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.64 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average is $224.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.69. The company has a quick ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 3.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. STERIS plc has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $243.37.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS plc will post 9.16 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.60.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,639,085.97. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total transaction of $267,312.56. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,677 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,546,660.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,369 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477 in the last ninety days. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.