Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Shares of Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.14.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Sotera Health from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Sotera Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Sotera Health from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on Sotera Health from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Sotera Health in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th.

Sotera Health Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ SHC traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $16.61. 2,647,530 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,660,564. The company’s 50-day moving average is $17.96 and its 200-day moving average is $16.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 2.91 and a current ratio of 3.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.68 and a beta of 1.94. Sotera Health has a 52-week low of $13.09 and a 52-week high of $19.85.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $324.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $319.86 million. Sotera Health had a net margin of 14.11% and a return on equity of 38.46%. Sotera Health’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sotera Health will post 0.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total value of $15,725,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 3,969,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $73,433,770.50. The trade was a 17.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 15.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sotera Health

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHC. Darsana Capital Partners LP increased its stake in Sotera Health by 3.8% during the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 27,000,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,000 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sotera Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $428,635,000. Sculptor Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Sotera Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $426,000,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Sotera Health by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,162,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,413,000 after buying an additional 2,390,132 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sotera Health in the second quarter worth $149,137,000. 91.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sotera Health Company Profile

Sotera Health Company is a global provider of sterilization, laboratory testing and advisory services for the medical device, pharmaceutical and food industries. Its services help customers assess product safety, meet regulatory requirements and prepare products for use. Through Sterigenics, the company provides contract sterilization using technologies including ethylene oxide, gamma irradiation and electron beam processing. Nelson Labs offers microbiological and analytical testing, as well as consulting, for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.