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

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $239.60.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, April 12th. TheStreet upgraded STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in STERIS in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, West Tower Group LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 2,483.3% during the 4th quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $200.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $19.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07 and a beta of 0.79. STERIS has a 1 year low of $180.54 and a 1 year high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $225.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $217.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.67% and a net margin of 10.48%. STERIS’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 36.43%.

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.