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SHC · Sotera Health Co

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$18.89 -0.13 (-0.68%) At close · Aug 14
Market Cap
$5.39B
Shares
285.37M
All earnings calls

Earnings call · FY2026 Q1

Sotera Health Co Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Sotera Health Co Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Concluded May 5, 2026 Audio replay
May 5, 2026 34:40 62 turns
Period
FY2026 Q1
Runtime
34:40
Sources
4 artifacts

Executive readout · one minute

What matters this quarter

Sotera Health reported Q1 2026 revenue of $280 million (+10%, +6.5% constant currency) and adjusted EBITDA of $135 million (+10.5%, +6.9% constant currency) with over 20 bps margin expansion, and reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook. The company also announced a CEO transition: Michael Petras will become Executive Chairman effective May 26, 2026, with Alton Shader appointed as incoming CEO.

Sterigenics segment performance 32 Nelson Labs softness 16 Nordion Cobalt-60 harvest timing benefit 12 Georgia ethylene oxide bellwether litigation dismissals 7 Constant currency revenue and EBITDA growth 6 Full-year 2026 financial outlook reaffirmed 6

Management tone

Confident

Net tone +62 · low hedging

Grounding quotes
  • “we delivered substantial improvements in our customer satisfaction scores across both Sterigenics and Nelson Labs”
  • “we remain confident in our ability to drive long-term growth, strong cash flow, and shareholder value”
  • “Today, we are reaffirming our 2026 outlook provided during our February earnings call”
  • “the court’s rejection of plaintiffs’ general causation theories is a critical issue common to all other personal injury cases”

Forward guidance

2 guided metrics

Management's latest ranges and targets are included below.

Research coverage

4 live sources

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Revenue $280.05M +10% YoY
Diluted EPS $0.09
Gross margin 52.5% -0.7 pp YoY
Net income $26.59M

Research materials

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Key takeaways

What improved, and what deserves a closer read.

Constructive signals

  • Q1 revenue grew 6.5% constant currency to $280 million and adjusted EBITDA grew 6.9% constant currency to $135 million, with margins expanding over 20 bps.
  • Nordion revenue surged 25.8% constant currency to $42 million with segment income up 33.1% constant currency and margins expanding over 290 bps to 56.4%.
  • Adjusted EPS rose approximately 29% year over year to $0.18 per share; interest expense improved by $6 million to $35 million.
  • Georgia State Court dismissed all eight EO bellwether personal injury cases, including the remaining five Phase 1 cases on March 30, 2026, with plaintiffs failing to prove general causation.
  • Public float increased to approximately 90% of outstanding shares following a March secondary sale by private equity shareholders.
  • More than 70% of revenue is supported by multiyear contracts with long-tenured customers, and 2025 saw substantial improvements in customer satisfaction scores.

Risks & pressure points

  • Nelson Labs revenue declined 3.8% constant currency to $52 million and segment income fell 15.1% constant currency to $15 million, with margins of 28%, as volume/mix more than offset pricing and FX benefits.
  • Sterigenics volumes faced a 1.7% headwind from localized U.S. weather impacts in Q1 2026.
  • EO regulation: management acknowledged 'tough' proposed EPA rules remaining challenging, with timing and final-rule impact on conversion opportunities still uncertain.
  • All eight Georgia bellwether dismissals remain subject to appeal.
  • CEO transition: Michael Petras moving to Executive Chairman and Alton Shader, currently CEO of Viant Medical, taking over as CEO effective May 26, 2026.

Key moments

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“All eight bellwether cases have now been dismissed and are subject to appeal. Although the March 30 order applies directly to the five Phase 1 pool cases, the court’s rejection of plaintiffs’ general causation theories is a critical issue common to all other personal injury cases.” Speaker 2, CEO

Guidance from the call

Stated verbally and extracted from the transcript.

Metric Guided
Total company revenue
2026
$1.23B – $1.25B
Adjusted EBITDA
2026
$632M – $641M

Quarter detail

How the reported period landed and where the business moved.

Revenue · segments

Sterigenics$186.13M +9.7% YoY
Nelson Labs$51.90M -0.7% YoY
Nordion$42.01M +29% YoY
Full-screen source Call document