STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $275.20.

A number of research firms have commented on STE. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th.

STERIS Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:STE opened at $254.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.50 and a beta of 1.03. STERIS has a 12-month low of $204.90 and a 12-month high of $269.44. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $255.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $251.60. 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 (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a net margin of 12.15% and a return on equity of 14.34%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s payout ratio is 35.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in STERIS by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 12,602 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,195,000 after purchasing an additional 4,282 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,691 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in STERIS by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,484 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,165,000 after purchasing an additional 3,607 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of STERIS by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,410,612 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $357,618,000 after buying an additional 130,470 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

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.