Analysts Set STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Price Target at $262.50

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $262.50.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on STE. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of STERIS by 154.7% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in STERIS in the second quarter worth approximately $61,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

STERIS Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE STE opened at $207.98 on Tuesday. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $197.82 and a fifty-two week high of $248.24. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $217.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.53 billion, a PE ratio of 47.48 and a beta of 0.83.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. STERIS’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th were given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.05%.

About STERIS

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.