Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $21.50.

SHC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Sotera Health from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $25.00 target price (up from $22.00) on shares of Sotera Health in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sotera Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Sotera Health from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Sotera Health from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Sotera Health Price Performance

NASDAQ SHC opened at $19.27 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.81 and a beta of 1.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $18.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 2.80. Sotera Health has a 52-week low of $13.09 and a 52-week high of $19.85.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $321.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.70 million. Sotera Health had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 40.12%. Sotera Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. Sotera Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.010 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sotera Health will post 0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Sotera Health

In other Sotera Health news, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $15,725,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 3,969,393 shares in the company, valued at $73,433,770.50. This trade represents a 17.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Michael P. Rutz sold 150,000 shares of Sotera Health stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.84, for a total transaction of $2,826,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 334,279 shares in the company, valued at $6,297,816.36. This represents a 30.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,294,515 shares of company stock valued at $23,999,528. 15.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHC. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Sotera Health by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Sotera Health by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 4,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sotera Health by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 16,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Sotera Health by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 66,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Sotera Health by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 64,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. 91.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sotera Health

Sotera Health Inc (NASDAQ: SHC) is a global provider of sterilization and laboratory testing services that support the medical device, pharmaceutical, life sciences and consumer product industries. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, the company offers a suite of services designed to ensure products meet rigorous safety and regulatory requirements before reaching market.

Sotera Health operates through three primary service platforms. Its Sterigenics division delivers contract sterilization solutions, including ethylene oxide (EtO), gamma irradiation, electron beam and X-ray technologies.