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

Key Points

• Downgrades: Wall Street Zen cut STERIS from a "strong-buy" to a "buy," and Weiss Ratings downgraded the stock from "buy (b-)" to "hold (c+)."
• Results & guidance: STERIS reported Q EPS of $2.53 (in line with estimates) with revenue up 9.2% and set FY2026 guidance of 10.150–10.300 EPS (sell-side average ~10.22; average price target $275.20).
• Insider and institutional activity: Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares (~$735k), cutting her stake by ~81.5%; insiders own 1.07% of the stock while institutions hold ~94.69%.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, STERIS has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.20.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE STE opened at $221.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.94 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. STERIS has a 1 year low of $209.98 and a 1 year high of $269.44. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $228.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.32.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.53. STERIS had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.34%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that STERIS will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total transaction of $734,876.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $167,233.05. This represents a 81.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in STERIS by 259.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 51,602 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $13,165,000 after buying an additional 37,228 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in STERIS by 5.4% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 98,487 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $24,366,000 after purchasing an additional 5,072 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in STERIS by 9.4% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,039,351 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $257,157,000 after purchasing an additional 89,250 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 5.3% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 693,116 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $171,505,000 after acquiring an additional 34,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter valued at $1,163,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Company Profile

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.

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