Impax Asset Management Group plc Has $251.66 Million Holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 29.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 263,383 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in STERIS were worth $251,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC grew its position in STERIS by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in STERIS by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 570 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank grew its position in STERIS by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 13,857 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,115,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its position in STERIS by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 3,520 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $774,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its position in STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on STE shares. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $246.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

STERIS Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $240.87. The company had a trading volume of 12,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 472,481. STERIS plc has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $245.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $23.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.58 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.73.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.45%.

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.