STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $253.00.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on STE. StockNews.com cut shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $260.00 in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd.

STERIS Stock Up 0.8 %

STERIS stock traded up $1.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $219.28. 342,972 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 497,351. 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 $195.47 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The company has a market cap of $21.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.65 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $225.36 and a 200-day moving average of $228.43.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.05%.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the business'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 directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in STERIS by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in STERIS by 24.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $3,252,000 after acquiring an additional 2,647 shares during the period. BDF Gestion purchased a new position in STERIS in the second quarter worth $2,644,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in STERIS by 52.0% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 12,071 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $2,928,000 after acquiring an additional 4,132 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 60,302 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $13,727,000 after purchasing an additional 5,999 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.