Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 15,130 Shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 208,440 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock after selling 15,130 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 0.21% of STERIS worth $42,847,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in shares of STERIS by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 17,355 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $3,567,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. boosted its position in STERIS by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 9,456 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in STERIS by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,552 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $1,552,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its position in shares of STERIS by 91.1% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 222,578 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock valued at $45,753,000 after purchasing an additional 106,100 shares during the period. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in shares of STERIS by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 43,400 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock worth $8,921,000 after buying an additional 10,600 shares during the last quarter. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

STERIS Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of STERIS stock traded up $0.60 on Wednesday, hitting $220.00. 500,336 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 458,831. STERIS plc has a one year low of $197.82 and a one year high of $248.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.72 billion, a PE ratio of 50.21 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $212.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.61.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.02. STERIS had a return on equity of 13.78% and a net margin of 8.02%. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.03 EPS. STERIS's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that STERIS plc will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is 52.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of STERIS from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $260.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of STERIS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of STERIS in a research note on Monday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.75.

Insider Activity

In other STERIS news, SVP Cary L. Majors sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.32, for a total transaction of $365,532.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,471,363.04. This represents a 12.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

STERIS Company Profile

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.