Companies highlighted in this weekly wrap include Steris Corporation (STE), Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (SHEN), Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) and Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMY).

Steris Corporation (STE) has produced impressive surprises on earnings, topping analysts’ EPS estimates by an average of 40% over the past 4 consecutive quarters. For the fiscal year ending March 2009, Wall Street is projecting EPS growth of 26% on a year-over-year basis.

Wall Street is Bullish on STE as it Outperforms the Dow

The company has fared better than the Dow since we last highlighted STE as a Growth and Income pick.

Analysts are upbeat on earnings. All of the covering analysts are calling for earnings of $1.77 per share for the year ending March 2009, which is up from last month’s $1.70 and translates into growth of 26% on a year-over-year basis.

For the following year, most of the covering analysts are forecasting $1.83 per share, versus last month’s $1.71, which represents 3% annual growth.

The company’s earnings per share are expected to grow about 15% over the next 3 – 5 years, which is in line with the industry average.

Strong Quarter

Steris recently posted solid fiscal third-quarter results. Revenues jumped 2% year-over-year, while net income of $28.6 million topped the year-prior $21.8 million.

Excluding charges, earnings per share totaled 53 cents, compared to the previous year’s 35 cents

Steris has produced impressive surprises on earnings, topping analysts’ earnings per share estimates by an average of 40% over the past 4 consecutive quarters.

Read our Feb 05, 2009 commentary on STE.

Last Week’s Growth and Income Zacks Rank Buy Stocks

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (SHEN) delivered double-digit surprises on earnings in both of the last 2 quarters. During the past 4 consecutive quarters, SHEN topped EPS estimates by an average of 8%. Read the full analysis on SHEN.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) recently declared a quarterly dividend of 33 cents per share, which is payable on March 31 to shareholders of record on March 10. The company offers an industry-leading yield of 2%. Read the full analysis on BDX.

Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) boasts a solid record of exceeding analysts’ earnings expectations, missing the consensus estimate only twice in more than 4 years. For the 2009 year, analysts see year-over-year earnings per share growth of 11%. The Street is forecasting earnings growth of 16% for the following year. Read the full analysis on BMY.

“STE” Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
Zacks Investment Research

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