Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $17.83 and last traded at $17.7550, with a volume of 746026 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.41.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on SHC shares. Barclays raised their price target on Sotera Health from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Sotera Health in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Sotera Health in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Sotera Health from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Sotera Health from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.80.

Sotera Health Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $16.56 and a 200-day moving average of $14.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.04. The company has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.16 and a beta of 1.81.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.04. Sotera Health had a net margin of 4.82% and a return on equity of 43.69%. The firm had revenue of $311.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $303.63 million. Sotera Health has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.810-0.860 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sotera Health Company will post 0.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gtcr Investment Xi Llc sold 6,480,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.33, for a total transaction of $105,818,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,735,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $371,267,465.33. This represents a 22.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 434,104 shares of Sotera Health stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.45, for a total value of $7,141,010.80. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 29,384,104 shares of company stock worth $471,824,511. Corporate insiders own 55.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sotera Health

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SHC. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Sotera Health by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 46,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in shares of Sotera Health by 33.1% during the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Sotera Health by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 23,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 933 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc lifted its position in Sotera Health by 7.7% in the first quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 14,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 1,041 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in Sotera Health by 0.6% in the second quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 187,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,083,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. 91.03% of the stock is owned by 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.