Major Exercise Alert: Karen Burton Exercises Options Worth $1.02M At Steris

A significant insider transaction involving the exercise of company stock options was reported on August 12, by Karen Burton, VP & CAO at Steris (NYSE:STE), as per the latest SEC filing.

What Happened: A notable Form 4 filing on Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Burton, VP & CAO at Steris, exercised stock options for 7,900 shares of STE, resulting in a transaction value of $1,019,732.

As of Wednesday morning, Steris shares are down by 0.19%, with a current price of $243.3. This implies that Burton's 7,900 shares have a value of $1,019,732.

Discovering Steris: A Closer Look

Steris is an Ireland-domiciled medical technology company focused on sterilization services and infection prevention. The company is the global leader in contract sterilization services, ensuring the safe delivery of single-use and implantable medical equipment to hospitals around the world. Steris also sells sterilizers, washer-disinfectors, and other decontamination equipment and supplies for use by care provider facilities and in biopharma manufacturing sites. Domiciled in the United States before its inversion to Ireland, the firm derives approximately 70% of its revenue from Healthcare Services, 19% from Applied Sterilization Technologies, or AST, and 11% from life sciences services after the divestment of its dental products business.

A Deep Dive into Steris's Financials

Positive Revenue Trend: Examining Steris's financials over 3 months reveals a positive narrative. The company achieved a noteworthy revenue growth rate of 8.72% as of 30 June, 2025, showcasing a substantial increase in top-line earnings. In comparison to its industry peers, the company trails behind with a growth rate lower than the average among peers in the Health Care sector.

Evaluating Earnings Performance:

• Gross Margin: The company shows a low gross margin of 45.14%, suggesting potential challenges in cost control and profitability compared to its peers.

• Earnings per Share (EPS): Steris's EPS outshines the industry average, indicating a strong bottom-line trend with a current EPS of 1.8.

Debt Management: The company maintains a balanced debt approach with a debt-to-equity ratio below industry norms, standing at 0.3.

Valuation Metrics: A Closer Look

• Price to Earnings (P/E) Ratio: With a lower-than-average P/E ratio of 37.27, the stock indicates an attractive valuation, potentially presenting a buying opportunity.

• Price to Sales (P/S) Ratio: The P/S ratio of 4.33 is lower than the industry average, implying a discounted valuation for Steris's stock in relation to sales performance.

• EV/EBITDA Analysis (Enterprise Value to its Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization): The company's EV/EBITDA ratio 18.33 is below the industry average, indicating that it may be relatively undervalued compared to peers.

Market Capitalization Analysis: The company exhibits a lower market capitalization profile, positioning itself below industry averages. This suggests a smaller scale relative to peers.

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The Impact of Insider Transactions on Investments

Insider transactions serve as a piece of the puzzle in investment decisions, rather than the entire picture.

Considering the legal perspective, an "insider" is defined as any officer, director, or beneficial owner holding more than ten percent of a company's equity securities, according to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This includes executives in the c-suite and major hedge funds. These insiders are mandated to disclose their transactions through a Form 4 filing, to be submitted within two business days of the transaction.

Pointing towards optimism, a company insider's new purchase signals their positive anticipation for the stock to rise.

Nevertheless, insider sells may not necessarily indicate a bearish view and can be influenced by various factors.

Essential Transaction Codes Unveiled

Navigating through the landscape of transactions, investors often prioritize those unfolding in the open market, precisely detailed in Table I of the Form 4 filing. A P in Box 3 denotes a purchase, while S signifies a sale. Transaction code C signals the conversion of an option, and transaction code A denotes a grant, award, or other acquisition of securities from the company.

Check Out The Full List Of Steris's Insider Trades.

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This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.