STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $263.83.

STE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded STERIS from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday. JMP Securities upped their target price on STERIS from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of STERIS from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, May 16th.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 12,828 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.08, for a total transaction of $3,208,026.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,843,909.76. This trade represents a 53.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Daniel A. Carestio sold 17,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 51,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,463,945.60. This represents a 25.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Park Edge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of STERIS by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLC now owns 4,709 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its holdings in STERIS by 5.9% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 3.5% in the first 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 stake in shares of STERIS by 16.5% in the first 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 grew its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.0% during the first 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 last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of STERIS stock opened at $241.03 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 2.13. STERIS has a 52-week low of $200.98 and a 52-week high of $252.79. The company's 50 day moving average price is $233.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.17 and a beta of 0.94.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.15. STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.77%.

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.

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