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

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $262.50.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. KeyCorp increased their price target on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE STE opened at $205.08 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.82 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $216.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.88.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.1 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 13.7% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $1,414,453,000 after purchasing an additional 778,613 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 171.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $191,370,000 after buying an additional 529,308 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in STERIS by 7,418.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 309,771 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $75,132,000 after acquiring an additional 305,651 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in STERIS by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,150,517 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,663,000 after acquiring an additional 263,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 1,946.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 270,311 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $59,344,000 after acquiring an additional 257,101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.