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

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $246.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other STERIS news, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,493.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total transaction of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,493.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in STERIS by 0.8% during the second quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in STERIS by 0.4% during the first quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 13,857 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,115,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its stake in STERIS by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 3,520 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in STERIS by 77.9% during the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in STERIS by 7.6% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 763 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Up 0.5 %

STERIS stock opened at $239.46 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $235.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.69 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.33. STERIS has a one year low of $195.47 and a one year high of $248.24.

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

STERIS Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. This is an increase from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 5th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.