Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) Upgraded to Strong-Buy 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.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on SHC. UBS Group set a $19.00 price target on Sotera Health in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on Sotera Health from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Sotera Health in a research report on Friday, June 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of 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 upgraded shares of Sotera Health from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.50.

Sotera Health Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SHC opened at $19.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $18.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.41. Sotera Health has a twelve month low of $13.09 and a twelve month high of $19.85. The company has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.81 and a beta of 1.77.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $321.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. The company’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, research analysts expect that Sotera Health will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sotera Health news, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 3,969,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,433,770.50. This trade represents a 17.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael P. Rutz sold 150,000 shares of Sotera Health stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.84, for a total value of $2,826,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 334,279 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,297,816.36. This trade represents a 30.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,294,515 shares of company stock valued at $23,999,528. Company insiders own 15.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sotera Health

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHC. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Sotera Health by 1,105.6% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,371 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sotera Health during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sotera Health during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Sotera Health by 217.5% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Sotera Health in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 91.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.