Analysts Set STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Target Price at $239.60

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $239.60.

Several research analysts have commented on STE shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, February 9th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, April 12th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in STE. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in STERIS by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,327 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,706,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in STERIS by 25.6% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,919 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 13,523 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,345 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,525,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $2,786,586,000 after buying an additional 143,253 shares in the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Down 0.6 %

STE stock opened at $199.51 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.71 billion, a PE ratio of 34.94 and a beta of 0.79. STERIS has a one year low of $180.54 and a one year high of $254.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $223.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $217.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The business’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that STERIS will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 36.43%.

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.