Copeland Capital Management LLC Increases Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 223,570 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after buying an additional 772 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in STERIS were worth $54,225,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in STE. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in STERIS by 77.9% during the 1st quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 121 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of STERIS by 112.7% during the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 134 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of STERIS during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in STERIS by 2,262.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 189 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at STERIS

In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Michael J. Tokich sold 23,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $247.00, for a total value of $5,763,004.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,710. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christopher S. Holland sold 473 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.68, for a total value of $113,368.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 582 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,493.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on STE shares. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of STERIS from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of STERIS from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.00.

STERIS Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of STE opened at $224.37 on Tuesday. STERIS plc has a twelve month low of $195.47 and a twelve month high of $248.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.68 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $235.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.15.

STERIS (NYSE:STE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.16. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 7.36%. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that STERIS plc will post 9.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. This is a boost from STERIS’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. STERIS’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.58%.

About STERIS

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.