STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives $253.00 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $262.50.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on STE shares. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, November 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at STERIS

In other news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,710. The trade was a 35.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total value of $365,532.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. This trade represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,972 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in STERIS by 110.9% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 12,484 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,807,000 after acquiring an additional 6,565 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in STERIS by 5.6% in the first quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 9,322 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in STERIS by 215.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 12,330 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,772,000 after purchasing an additional 8,417 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $216.65 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $224.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.46 and a beta of 0.83. STERIS has a 1 year low of $195.50 and a 1 year high of $248.24.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.