STERIS (NYSE:STE) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of STERIS (NYSE:STE) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, January 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $275.20.

STERIS Stock Down 3.4%

STE stock opened at $230.49 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $254.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $251.54. The company has a market cap of $22.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.48. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $204.90 and a fifty-two week high of $269.44.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.53 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53. STERIS had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 12.15%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.32 earnings per share. STERIS has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.150-10.300 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that STERIS will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. STERIS’s payout ratio is currently 35.15%.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 3,098 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.21, for a total value of $734,876.58. Following the transaction, the director owned 705 shares in the company, valued at $167,233.05. This trade represents a 81.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On STERIS

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of STE. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in STERIS during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 115.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of STERIS by 423.8% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 110 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in STERIS during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors 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.