Cetera Investment Advisers Has $3.27 Million Stake in STERIS plc $STE

Cetera Investment Advisers reduced its holdings in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 54.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,786 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 17,585 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in STERIS were worth $3,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of STE. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 423.8% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 342.3% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in STERIS by 416.0% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 129 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $233.15 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $22.72 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $214.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.09. STERIS plc has a 52-week low of $195.14 and a 52-week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.49 by $0.10. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 13.18%.The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. STERIS has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.000-11.300 EPS. On average, analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.78%.

Key STERIS News

Here are the key news stories impacting STERIS this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings exceeded expectations: STERIS reported adjusted earnings of $2.59 per share, above the $2.49–$2.54 analyst consensus and up from $2.34 a year earlier. Revenue rose 7.3% year over year to approximately $1.5 billion. Steris Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Broad-based operating growth: Healthcare revenue increased 8% to $1.05 billion, Applied Sterilization Technologies revenue rose 6% to $297.6 million, and Life Sciences revenue grew 9% to $146.7 million. Constant-currency organic revenue growth was 6%.
• Positive Sentiment: Growth investment supports longer-term prospects: STERIS plans to invest $600 million in a North Carolina formulated-chemistries manufacturing and distribution center to support sterilization and disinfection demand from healthcare and pharmaceutical customers. Steris to Invest in North Carolina Manufacturing Hub
• Neutral Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 outlook was maintained: The company reiterated revenue growth guidance of 7% to 8% and adjusted EPS guidance of $11.10 to $11.30, broadly in line with analyst expectations. Capital expenditures are expected to increase to approximately $450 million, while free-cash-flow guidance is about $800 million.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term costs and cash-flow pressures: The North Carolina project and related restructuring are expected to generate approximately $55 million to $70 million in pretax charges over time. Operating cash flow declined to $367.1 million from $420.0 million in the prior-year quarter, while higher capital spending could weigh on near-term free cash flow.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may temper sentiment: Company insiders reported five open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months, although these transactions are not necessarily tied to the quarterly results.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on STE shares. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of STERIS from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on STERIS from $291.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, STERIS has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, Director Richard C. Breeden sold 1,481 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.51, for a total transaction of $310,284.31. Following the sale, the director directly owned 38,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,163,347.64. The trade was a 3.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 1,374 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.00, for a total transaction of $291,288.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 63,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,493,164. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 7,328 shares of company stock valued at $1,554,051 in the last three months. 1.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About STERIS

STERIS Corporation (NYSE: STE) is a global provider of infection prevention, contamination control and procedural products and services for the healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company develops, manufactures and supports a broad portfolio of equipment and consumables designed to reduce risk of infection, maintain sterile environments and support critical clinical and manufacturing procedures.

Its offerings include sterilization and decontamination systems, instrument washers and washers-disinfectors, endoscope reprocessing solutions, surgical equipment and procedural disposables, and contamination-control products for cleanrooms and laboratories.