STE Q3 Earnings Meet, Revenues Beat, Stock Dips in Aftermarket Trading

Core Insights - STERIS plc reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.53, reflecting a 9% increase year-over-year, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate [2][9] - The company's GAAP EPS was $1.96, up 12% from $1.75 in the previous year [2] Revenue Performance - Total revenues from continuing operations reached $1.50 billion, marking a 9.5% year-over-year increase and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.1% [3][9] - Organic revenues at constant exchange rate (CER) rose by 8% year-over-year [3] - Revenue breakdown by segment: - Healthcare segment revenues increased by 9% to $1.10 billion, with service revenues up 11%, consumable revenues up 8%, and capital equipment revenues up 7% [4] - Applied Sterilization Technologies (AST) revenues improved by 11% to $286.6 million, driven by 9% growth in service revenues and a significant 103% increase in capital equipment revenues [5] - Life Sciences segment revenues rose by 7% to $145.8 million, with consumable revenues up 11% and capital equipment revenues up 7% [6] Margin Analysis - Gross profit for the quarter was $655.5 million, a 7.4% increase from the prior year, but gross margin contracted by 72 basis points to 43.8% due to a 10.6% rise in the cost of revenues [7] - Selling, general and administrative expenses rose by 5% to $352.3 million, while research and development expenses increased by 7.7% to $29.5 million [8] Financial Guidance - STERIS maintained its fiscal 2026 guidance, expecting revenue growth of approximately 8-9% and adjusted EPS in the range of $10.15-$10.30 [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $5.93 billion, implying an 8.6% growth from fiscal 2025 [11] Overall Assessment - The company ended the third quarter on a mixed note, with earnings meeting estimates and revenues exceeding expectations, while all business segments experienced growth [12] - Despite increased costs impacting gross margins, the expansion of operating margins is viewed positively for the stock [12]