Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $266.50.
A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on STE shares. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities raised their price objective on shares of STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised STERIS from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $276.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th.
Read Our Latest Research Report on STE
STERIS Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:STE traded up $3.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $229.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 498,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 552,420. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $238.56 and a 200 day moving average of $226.13. STERIS has a twelve month low of $200.98 and a twelve month high of $252.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.59 billion, a PE ratio of 37.13 and a beta of 0.92.
STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 11.26%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.
STERIS Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. STERIS's payout ratio is 36.77%.
Insider Activity at STERIS
In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $242.56, for a total value of $4,275,362.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,385 shares in the company, valued at $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the company's stock.
Institutional Trading of STERIS
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Park Edge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in STERIS by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,709 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its stake in STERIS by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 975 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in STERIS by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 16.5% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 395 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in STERIS by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 6,280 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,423,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About STERIS
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Get Free ReportSTERIS 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.
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