STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $246.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on STE shares. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com upgraded STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 582 shares in the company, valued at $139,493.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,710. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,864,606 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,608,434,000 after buying an additional 53,526 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 13.7% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,442,805 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,414,453,000 after buying an additional 778,613 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 7.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,738,630 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $390,880,000 after purchasing an additional 120,616 shares in the last quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its position in shares of STERIS by 23.5% during the 1st quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 1,485,578 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $333,988,000 after purchasing an additional 282,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in STERIS by 29.7% in the second 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 period. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE stock opened at $236.98 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.43 billion, a PE ratio of 62.04 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $236.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.53. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $195.47 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.05 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This is a positive change from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.96%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 59.69%.

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.