STERIS(US:STE)2025-11-06 15:02Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total as-reported revenue grew by 10% in the second quarter, with constant currency organic revenue increasing by 9% driven by volume and a 210 basis points price increase [4] - Gross margin increased by 60 basis points to 44.3%, while EBIT margin rose by 90 basis points to 23.1% of revenue compared to the previous year [4] - Adjusted earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were $2.47, reflecting a 15% increase year-over-year [5] - Free cash flow for the first half of fiscal 2026 was $527.7 million, indicating strong performance driven by increased earnings and improved working capital [6] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In the healthcare segment, constant currency organic revenue grew by 9%, with services growing by 13% and consumables by 10% [7] - The AST segment saw constant currency organic revenue growth of 7%, with services up by 13% but capital equipment revenue anticipated to decline [8] - Life sciences experienced a 12% increase in constant currency organic revenue, driven by a 39% growth in capital equipment shipments [8] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The healthcare capital equipment backlog exceeded $400 million, with orders up 3% year-to-date [7] - Capital equipment backlog in life sciences increased by over 50% to $114 million [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is increasing its revenue growth outlook to approximately 8%-9% for fiscal 2026, with constant currency organic revenue growth now expected to be 7%-8% [9] - The earnings outlook has been revised to a new range of $10.15-$10.30, with EBIT margins expected to improve by 10-20 basis points [10] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the sustainability of service growth in the AST segment, citing stable volume from medtech customers and recovery in bioprocessing [14] - The company acknowledged headwinds from tariffs and inflation but noted that operating margins improved despite these challenges [15][16] - Management indicated that the healthcare service business is expected to see a slight slowdown in growth rates due to normalization of labor costs [21] Other Important Information - The company reported a pre-tax tariff impact of approximately $12 million, primarily affecting the healthcare segment [9] - Capital expenditures for the first half of fiscal 2026 totaled $180.1 million, with depreciation and amortization at $241.1 million [5] Q&A Session Summary Question: What drove the second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in AST services? - Management noted stable volume from medtech customers and recovery in bioprocessing as key drivers, with confidence in the 9%-10% growth outlook going forward [14] Question: Can you elaborate on the operating margins despite headwinds? - Management indicated that tariffs represented a 90 basis point impact, while material and labor inflation accounted for about 130 basis points across the company [17] Question: What is the outlook for healthcare subsegments? - Management expects service growth to remain strong, with consumables performing well and capital equipment growth being a bit of a wild card due to timing [28] Question: How is the company addressing capacity constraints in AST? - Management stated that expanding capacity is a long process, taking two to three years, but they have been steadily bringing new capacity into the market [36] Question: What is the state of the single-use scopes trend? - Management acknowledged that while there is a place for single-use scopes, particularly in small-diameter applications, the bulk of their business remains in large-diameter scopes [46]