STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Receives $258.75 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $258.75.

STE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Select Equity Group L.P. lifted its holdings in STERIS by 165.3% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,599,730 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $534,400,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619,796 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of STERIS by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,359,748 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $483,775,000 after buying an additional 56,123 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261,927 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $257,585,000 after buying an additional 172,795 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of STERIS by 45.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,216,821 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $250,130,000 after buying an additional 378,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of STERIS by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,213,037 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $249,352,000 after buying an additional 83,601 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE STE opened at $227.04 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. STERIS has a twelve month low of $197.82 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $219.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.48. The stock has a market cap of $22.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.20 and a beta of 0.92.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.01). STERIS had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 13.91%. On average, research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

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.