STERIS (NYSE:STE) Downgraded to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.20.

STERIS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $247.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.35. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $204.90 and a fifty-two week high of $269.44. The company has a market capitalization of $24.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.58 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.32 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, VP Julia Madsen sold 5,008 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $1,312,096.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 10,710 shares in the company, valued at $2,806,020. The trade was a 31.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Renato Tamaro sold 5,036 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.55, for a total value of $1,297,021.80. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 5,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,466,747.25. The trade was a 46.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in STERIS by 46.1% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,106 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in STERIS by 32.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 242,732 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $55,015,000 after buying an additional 59,264 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $522,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 8,300 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 38.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 20,716 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,695,000 after acquiring an additional 5,803 shares in the last quarter. 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.