Brokerages Set STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) Price Target at $241.60

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $241.60.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised STERIS from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 15th.

Insider Activity at STERIS

In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total value of $267,312.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,546,660.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other STERIS news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 1,154 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.64, for a total value of $267,312.56. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,677 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,546,660.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 2,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.13, for a total value of $469,831.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,639,085.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,798,477 over the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of STE. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in shares of STERIS in the first quarter worth about $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in STERIS by 77.9% in the first quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 112.7% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in STERIS in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

STERIS Stock Performance

NYSE:STE opened at $238.76 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.60 and its 200 day moving average is $222.14. STERIS has a fifty-two week low of $195.47 and a fifty-two week high of $254.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.60 billion, a PE ratio of 62.50 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a current ratio of 3.08.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.17. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.73% and a net margin of 6.95%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. STERIS’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that STERIS will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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.