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

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $275.20.

Several research firms have issued reports on STE. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,233.05. The trade was a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in STERIS by 423.8% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in STERIS by 115.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 1.8%

STERIS stock opened at $216.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $248.56 and its 200-day moving average is $249.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.16 and a beta of 1.05. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $204.90 and a fifty-two week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.53. STERIS had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.34%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 earnings per share. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.15%.

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.