STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE – Get Rating) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $232.00.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JMP Securities decreased their price objective on STERIS from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. TheStreet cut STERIS from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on STERIS from $235.00 to $215.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th.

STERIS Price Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $178.54 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $17.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -615.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.85. STERIS has a 12 month low of $159.21 and a 12 month high of $255.93. The business’s 50-day moving average is $196.09 and its 200 day moving average is $185.62.

STERIS (NYSE:STE – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. STERIS had a positive return on equity of 12.86% and a negative net margin of 0.58%. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.12 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 24th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -648.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in STERIS by 70.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,756,454 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $693,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,556,136 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in STERIS during the 4th quarter valued at $153,900,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its position in STERIS by 2,254.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 831,224 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $138,216,000 after acquiring an additional 795,926 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in STERIS by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,087,287 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $845,914,000 after acquiring an additional 488,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in STERIS by 89.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 953,983 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $230,645,000 after acquiring an additional 451,235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Company Profile

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STERIS Plc engages in the provision of healthcare and life science product and service solutions. It operates through the following segments: Healthcare, Life Sciences, Applied Sterilization Technologies, and Dental. The Healthcare segment provides a comprehensive offering for healthcare providers worldwide, focused on sterile processing departments and procedural centers, such as operating rooms and endoscopy suites.