STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $258.75.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. Piper Sandler upped their target price on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $227.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.39 and a beta of 0.92. STERIS has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $220.93.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. Analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in STERIS by 41.7% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 683 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 4,534.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 219,032 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $45,024,000 after purchasing an additional 214,306 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,401,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,623,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in STERIS by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 9,399 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,932,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Company Profile

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.