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

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $239.60.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on STE shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of STERIS from $225.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 4th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. TheStreet upgraded shares of STERIS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, February 8th.

STERIS Price Performance

STE stock opened at $224.82 on Friday. STERIS has a 12 month low of $180.54 and a 12 month high of $254.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $227.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $219.08. The stock has a market cap of $22.21 billion, a PE ratio of 39.37 and a beta of 0.80.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.05. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that STERIS will post 8.67 earnings per share for the current year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.93%. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of STE. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 15,327 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $3,706,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 25.6% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,919 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake 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 worth $3,269,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in STERIS by 24.4% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 2,345 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $567,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in STERIS by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,525,769 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $2,786,586,000 after purchasing an additional 143,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

STERIS Company Profile

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.