STERIS (NYSE:STE) Lowered to “Buy” Rating by Wall Street Zen

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

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

STERIS Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $219.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. STERIS has a 52-week low of $204.90 and a 52-week high of $269.44. The company has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.67 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $242.75 and a 200 day moving average of $248.76.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 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 revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other STERIS news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total value of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,233.05. The trade was a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of STERIS by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of STERIS by 423.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 94.69% of the stock is 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.