Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Acquires 94,245 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 1,012.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 103,554 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 94,245 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in STERIS were worth $22,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $49,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in STERIS in the third quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock traded up $1.20 on Thursday, hitting $206.24. The company had a trading volume of 384,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 458,173. STERIS plc has a 12-month low of $185.22 and a 12-month high of $254.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.36. The stock has a market cap of $20.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91 and a beta of 0.81.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The company’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 12th. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 36.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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