Although STERIS (currently trading at $259.38 per share) has gained 7.1% over the last six months, it has trailed the S&P 500’s 14.4% return during that period. This may have investors wondering how to approach the situation.
Is now the time to buy STERIS, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? See what our analysts have to say in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
Why Is STERIS Not Exciting?
We don't have much confidence in STERIS. Here is one reason why STE doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own.
Previous Growth Initiatives Haven’t Impressed
Growth gives us insight into a company’s long-term potential, but how capital-efficient was that growth? A company’s ROIC explains this by showing how much operating profit it makes compared to the money it has raised (debt and equity).
STERIS historically did a mediocre job investing in profitable growth initiatives. Its five-year average ROIC was 4.9%, lower than the typical cost of capital (how much it costs to raise money) for healthcare companies.
Final Judgment
STERIS isn’t a terrible business, but it isn’t one of our picks. With its shares lagging the market recently, the stock trades at 24.4× forward P/E (or $259.38 per share). This valuation is reasonable, but the company’s shakier fundamentals present too much downside risk. We're fairly confident there are better investments elsewhere. We’d suggest looking at one of our all-time favorite software stocks.
High-Quality Stocks for All Market Conditions
The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).
Stocks that have made our list include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.