should be even more momentum for us on monday... should be a fun couple of weeks until special dividend payout...

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB1257...


ON OCT. 5, Barron's published an upbeat piece by Christopher C. Williams on Steris (STE), a leader in infection prevention and equipment sterilization whose roots go back to 1894. The article said that even if the H1N1 virus and other flu threats subside, Steris could still clean up.

Indeed, the shares, at 29 and change a month ago and up 54% since early March, were recently quoted at 34. And last Tuesday, the Mentor, Ohio, company, which in May boosted its quarterly common dividend to 11 cents a share from eight cents, declared an extra $2 payout. At the same time, Steris posted fiscal second-quarter (ended Sept. 30) earnings per share of 54 cents, a dime better than Wall Street had expected, on revenue of $314 million, $17 million higher than the pros' consensus guess.

"The decision...to return cash to our shareholders through a special dividend is a reflection of our current cash position, free-cash-flow generation and the confidence we have in the company's future," said Chief Executive Walter M. Rosebrough. "Steris's strong balance sheet allows us to make this distribution without hindering our ability to pursue growth alternatives," he added. The respective payment, record and ex-dates for the regular and bonus dividends are Dec. 22, Nov. 24 and Nov. 20. Dividends were initiated in 2005 and have been enriched annually. Yield: 1.30%.