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CI vs. STE: Cigna vs. STERIS Stock Comparison

How do Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE) both fall under the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group, but CI is classified in Health Care Providers & Services while STE is classified in Health Care Equipment & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
Profile ItemCISTE
NameThe Cigna GroupSTERIS plc
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupHealth Care Equipment & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Services
GICS IndustryHealth Care Providers & ServicesHealth Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHealth Care ServicesHealth Care Equipment
Market Capitalization77.36 billion USD24.50 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 31, 1982June 1, 1992
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CI
STE
GSPC
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Total Return (1Y)13.95%-1.85%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)2.65%9.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)8.40%3.26%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CI
STE
GSPC
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)26.82%26.39%
Beta (5Y)0.240.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-32.10%-36.18%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.55M694.02K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CI and STE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.36-0.23
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.54-0.34

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Cigna (CI) at 15.65% sits in the top ROE quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 11.61% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CI.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

15.65%

Max
47.61%
CI
15.65%
Q3
14.36%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.61%

Max
47.61%
Q3
14.36%
STE
11.61%
Median
5.45%
Q1
-10.67%
Min
-47.01%
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 13.41% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Cigna (CI) at 2.09%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.09%

Max
29.35%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
CI
2.09%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

13.41%

Max
29.35%
STE
13.41%
Q3
9.33%
Median
2.18%
Q1
-6.29%
Min
-28.46%
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

STERIS (STE) at 19.18% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Cigna (CI) at 3.48%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.48%

Max
35.43%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
CI
3.48%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

19.18%

Max
35.43%
STE
19.18%
Q3
14.14%
Median
6.81%
Q1
-0.28%
Min
-16.29%
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
ROE (TTM)15.65%11.61%
ROA (TTM)4.29%7.00%
Net Margin (TTM)2.09%13.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.48%19.18%
Gross Margin (TTM)9.09%44.30%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Cigna (CI) at 11.26% and STERIS (STE) at 8.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Cigna (CI) at 83.00% and STERIS (STE) at 27.90% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Revenue Growth (YoY)11.26%8.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)15.15%9.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)83.00%27.90%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)1.36%94.97%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

STERIS (STE) at 2.05 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Cigna (CI) at 0.84 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CI.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.84

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
CI
0.84
Min
0.30

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05

Max
7.59
Q3
4.00
STE
2.05
Median
1.98
Q1
1.37
Min
0.30
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Cigna (CI) at 0.71 and STERIS (STE) at 0.28 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.71

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
CI
0.71
Median
0.58
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.28

Max
1.88
Q3
0.91
Median
0.58
STE
0.28
Q1
0.16
Min
0.00
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.842.05
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.710.28
Net Debt / EBITDA1.870.91

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Cigna (CI) at 2.05% and STERIS (STE) at 1.02% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.05%

CI
2.05%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

STE
1.02%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Cigna (CI) at 27.29% and STERIS (STE) at 30.61% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

27.29%

CI
27.29%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

30.61%

STE
30.61%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.05%1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)27.29%30.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Cigna (CI) at 12.94 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while STERIS (STE) at 29.93 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for CI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

12.94

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
CI
12.94
Min
4.21

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

29.93

Max
80.41
Q3
47.62
STE
29.93
Median
29.93
Q1
21.19
Min
4.21
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Cigna (CI) at 0.27 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while STERIS (STE) at 3.97 prices around its industry’s middle — CI costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.27

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
CI
0.27
Min
0.03

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.97

Max
8.80
Q3
4.32
STE
3.97
Median
2.13
Q1
1.10
Min
0.03
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Cigna (CI) at 1.79 and STERIS (STE) at 3.38 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CI

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.79

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
Median
3.00
CI
1.79
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31

STE

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.38

Max
11.68
Q3
6.12
STE
3.38
Median
3.00
Q1
1.73
Min
-1.31
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Cigna (CI) vs. STERIS (STE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Cigna (CI) and STERIS (STE)
MetricCISTE
P/E Ratio (TTM)12.9429.93
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.273.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.793.38
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)10.59%3.36%