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

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $253.00.

STE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded STERIS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other STERIS news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,363.04. The trade was a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On STERIS

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of STERIS during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in STERIS by 112.7% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in STERIS by 2,262.5% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 154.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 191 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE STE opened at $219.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. STERIS has a 12 month low of $195.47 and a 12 month high of $248.24. The company has a market capitalization of $21.62 billion, a PE ratio of 50.01 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $225.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.23.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 19th. STERIS’s 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.