STERIS (NYSE:STE) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $269.37 and last traded at $268.9150, with a volume of 240839 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $264.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of STERIS in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, STERIS presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.50.

STERIS Stock Performance

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 firm has a market capitalization of $26.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.53 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $258.76 and its 200-day moving average is $246.28.

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

STERIS Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 18th were paid a $0.63 dividend. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 18th. STERIS’s payout ratio is 36.21%.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In other news, VP Renato Tamaro sold 5,036 shares of STERIS stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.55, for a total transaction of $1,297,021.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 5,695 shares in the company, valued at $1,466,747.25. This trade represents a 46.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Julia Madsen sold 5,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total transaction of $1,312,096.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 10,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,806,020. The trade was a 31.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 25,044 shares of company stock valued at $6,586,218 in the last 90 days. 1.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of STERIS

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of STERIS by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,106 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in STERIS by 32.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 242,732 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $55,015,000 after acquiring an additional 59,264 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of STERIS by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,303 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $522,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of STERIS by 40.0% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 8,300 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 2,372 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 38.9% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 20,716 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $4,695,000 after purchasing an additional 5,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

About STERIS

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.