351,867 Shares in Sotera Health Company $SHC Bought by Legal & General Group Plc

Key Points

• Legal & General Group bought 351,867 Sotera Health shares worth approximately $6.25 million, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 91.03% of the company.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $21.50, above the reported share price of $18.96.
• Sotera Health exceeded quarterly expectations with $0.26 in earnings per share and $321.38 million in revenue, but insiders sold 1.29 million shares worth nearly $24 million over the past 90 days.

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Sotera Health Company (NASDAQ:SHC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 351,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,246,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.12% of Sotera Health as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Sotera Health in the second quarter valued at about $3,376,000. SaddleRock Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sotera Health in the second quarter worth approximately $5,441,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sotera Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $278,000. Two Seas Capital LP bought a new stake in Sotera Health in the second quarter valued at approximately $103,590,000. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Sotera Health during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 91.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SHC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Sotera Health from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Sotera Health in a research report on Friday, June 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Sotera Health from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $25.00 target price (up from $22.00) on shares of Sotera Health in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $19.00 price target on Sotera Health in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sotera Health has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Michael B. Jr. Petras sold 850,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chairman directly owned 3,969,393 shares in the company, valued at $73,433,770.50. This trade represents a 17.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael P. Rutz sold 150,000 shares of Sotera Health stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 334,279 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,297,816.36. The trade was a 30.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,294,515 shares of company stock worth $23,999,528 over the last ninety days. 15.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sotera Health Stock Performance

Shares of SHC opened at $18.96 on Thursday. Sotera Health Company has a one year low of $13.09 and a one year high of $19.85. The company has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.28 and a 200-day moving average of $16.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 2.55.

Sotera Health (NASDAQ:SHC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $321.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $309.70 million. Sotera Health had a return on equity of 40.12% and a net margin of 13.44%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.20 EPS. Sotera Health has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.010 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sotera Health Company will post 0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sotera Health 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.

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