Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) Shares Cross Above 50-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC)’s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.55 and traded as high as $18.82. Sotera Health shares last traded at $18.65, with a volume of 2,154,305 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on SHC shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Sotera Health from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sotera Health from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Weiss Ratings cut Sotera Health from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Sotera Health from $19.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Sotera Health from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sotera Health currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $21.38.

Sotera Health Stock Up 0.9%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $18.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.05. 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 stock has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.72 and a beta of 1.85.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.70 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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 forecast that Sotera Health Company will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sotera Health news, insider Michael P. Rutz sold 150,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 334,279 shares in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chairman owned 3,969,393 shares in the company, valued at $73,433,770.50. The trade was 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 sold 1,294,515 shares of company stock worth $23,999,528. 15.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sotera Health

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sotera Health in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Sotera Health by 217.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Sotera Health during the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Sotera Health by 150.8% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio raised its stake in shares of Sotera Health by 20.1% during the first quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 5,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. 91.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sotera Health Company Profile

Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ: SHC) is a healthcare services company focused on sterilization, laboratory testing and infection prevention. Its services support manufacturers and providers across the medical device, pharmaceutical, tissue, food safety and other healthcare-related industries.

The company operates through three primary businesses. Sterigenics provides outsourced sterilization services, including ethylene oxide, gamma irradiation and electron-beam processing. Nelson Labs offers laboratory testing, analytical services and consulting for medical devices, pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products.