STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives $262.50 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $262.50.

A number of research firms have recently commented on STE. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler raised STERIS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th.

STERIS Stock Performance

STE traded down $0.66 on Friday, hitting $209.50. The company had a trading volume of 693,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,470. The stock has a market cap of $20.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.83 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The company's fifty day moving average price is $212.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.72. STERIS has a 1-year low of $197.82 and a 1-year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a net margin of 8.02% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. STERIS's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that STERIS will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.05%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the company's 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 8.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,680 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 171.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 838,569 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $191,370,000 after purchasing an additional 529,308 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,410 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,252,000 after purchasing an additional 2,647 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position 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 buying an additional 4,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth about $9,949,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company's stock.

About STERIS

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.