STERIS (NYSE:STE) Cut to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

STERIS (NYSE:STE) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.20.

STERIS Price Performance

STERIS stock opened at $219.90 on Friday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $248.76. STERIS has a 12 month low of $204.90 and a 12 month high of $269.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Insider Activity at STERIS

In related news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,233.05. The trade was a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

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

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.