Brokerages Set STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Target Price at $273.50

Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $273.50.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, January 9th.

STERIS Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE STE opened at $262.81 on Wednesday. STERIS has a 12 month low of $204.90 and a 12 month high of $269.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a PE ratio of 37.76 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $259.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $248.90.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.38 by $0.09. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.43% and a net margin of 12.07%.The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.30 EPS. Research analysts forecast that STERIS will post 9.08 EPS for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.21%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, VP Julia Madsen sold 5,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $1,312,096.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 10,710 shares in the company, valued at $2,806,020. This trade represents a 31.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP John Adam Zangerle sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.14, for a total value of $3,977,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 33,669 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,926,998.66. This represents a 30.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 25,044 shares of company stock worth $6,586,218 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of STERIS in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in STERIS by 115.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of STERIS by 423.8% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in STERIS in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 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.