Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

SHC has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Sotera Health in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $20.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Sotera Health from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group set a $19.00 price target on Sotera Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Sotera Health from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Sotera Health from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Sotera Health currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Sotera Health Price Performance

Sotera Health stock opened at $18.90 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.41. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.16 and a beta of 1.77. Sotera Health has a 1 year low of $13.09 and a 1 year high of $19.85. 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 (NASDAQ:SHC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.02. Sotera Health had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 40.12%. The firm had revenue of $321.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $309.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.20 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sotera Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.010 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sotera Health will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sotera Health news, insider Michael P. Rutz sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.84, for a total transaction of $2,826,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 334,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,297,816.36. This trade represents a 30.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $15,725,000.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 3,969,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,433,770.50. This represents a 17.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,294,515 shares of company stock worth $23,999,528. 15.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sotera Health

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Sotera Health by 11.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 2,845 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sotera Health by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 342,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,999,000 after acquiring an additional 43,471 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Sotera Health by 125.5% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 25,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 14,018 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in Sotera Health by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 20,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Sotera Health by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 319,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,549,000 after purchasing an additional 12,758 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.03% of the company’s stock.

Sotera Health Company Profile

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.