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Side-by-side financial comparison of CABOT CORP (CBT) and Steris (STE). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Steris is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.5B vs $849.0M, roughly 1.8× CABOT CORP). Steris runs the higher net margin — 12.9% vs 8.6%, a 4.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Steris posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (9.2% vs -11.1%). Steris produced more free cash flow last quarter ($199.5M vs $57.0M). Over the past eight quarters, Steris's revenue compounded faster (15.8% CAGR vs -8.7%).

Cabot Corporation is an American specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company operates in over 20 countries with 36 manufacturing plants, eight research and development facilities, and 28 sales offices.

Steris plc is an American-Irish-based medical equipment company specializing in sterilization and surgical products for the US healthcare system. Steris is operationally headquartered in Mentor, Ohio, and has been legally registered in Dublin, Ireland, for tax purposes since 2018. Previously the company was registered in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2018.

CBT vs STE — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
STE
STE
1.8× larger
STE
$1.5B
$849.0M
CBT
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
STE
STE
+20.3% gap
STE
9.2%
-11.1%
CBT
Higher net margin
STE
STE
4.3% more per $
STE
12.9%
8.6%
CBT
More free cash flow
STE
STE
$142.5M more FCF
STE
$199.5M
$57.0M
CBT
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
STE
STE
Annualised
STE
15.8%
-8.7%
CBT

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2026

Metric
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Revenue
$849.0M
$1.5B
Net Profit
$73.0M
$192.9M
Gross Margin
24.9%
43.8%
Operating Margin
15.2%
18.3%
Net Margin
8.6%
12.9%
Revenue YoY
-11.1%
9.2%
Net Profit YoY
-21.5%
11.2%
EPS (diluted)
$1.37
$1.96

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$849.0M
$1.5B
Q3 25
$899.0M
$1.5B
Q2 25
$923.0M
$1.4B
Q1 25
$936.0M
$1.5B
Q4 24
$955.0M
$1.4B
Q3 24
$1.0B
$1.3B
Q2 24
$1.0B
$1.3B
Q1 24
$1.0B
$1.1B
Net Profit
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$73.0M
$192.9M
Q3 25
$43.0M
$191.9M
Q2 25
$101.0M
$177.4M
Q1 25
$94.0M
$145.7M
Q4 24
$93.0M
$173.5M
Q3 24
$137.0M
$150.0M
Q2 24
$109.0M
$145.4M
Q1 24
$84.0M
$-1.4M
Gross Margin
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
24.9%
43.8%
Q3 25
24.5%
44.2%
Q2 25
26.4%
45.1%
Q1 25
25.7%
43.3%
Q4 24
24.6%
44.5%
Q3 24
24.0%
43.6%
Q2 24
25.2%
44.7%
Q1 24
24.1%
40.2%
Operating Margin
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
15.2%
18.3%
Q3 25
15.2%
18.2%
Q2 25
18.1%
17.7%
Q1 25
17.3%
14.6%
Q4 24
16.2%
17.9%
Q3 24
15.0%
16.5%
Q2 24
16.9%
14.5%
Q1 24
15.3%
22.0%
Net Margin
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
8.6%
12.9%
Q3 25
4.8%
13.1%
Q2 25
10.9%
12.8%
Q1 25
10.0%
9.8%
Q4 24
9.7%
12.7%
Q3 24
13.7%
11.3%
Q2 24
10.7%
11.4%
Q1 24
8.2%
-0.1%
EPS (diluted)
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$1.37
$1.96
Q3 25
$0.80
$1.94
Q2 25
$1.86
$1.79
Q1 25
$1.69
$1.48
Q4 24
$1.67
$1.75
Q3 24
$2.41
$1.51
Q2 24
$1.94
$1.46
Q1 24
$1.49
$-0.02

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$230.0M
$423.7M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$1.9B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$1.6B
$7.2B
Total Assets
$3.8B
$10.6B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.27×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$230.0M
$423.7M
Q3 25
$258.0M
$319.2M
Q2 25
$239.0M
$279.7M
Q1 25
$213.0M
$171.7M
Q4 24
$183.0M
$155.2M
Q3 24
$223.0M
$172.2M
Q2 24
$197.0M
$198.3M
Q1 24
$206.0M
$207.0M
Total Debt
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$1.9B
Q3 25
$1.1B
$1.9B
Q2 25
$1.9B
Q1 25
$1.9B
Q4 24
$2.0B
Q3 24
$1.1B
$2.2B
Q2 24
$2.2B
Q1 24
$3.1B
Stockholders' Equity
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$1.6B
$7.2B
Q3 25
$1.6B
$7.0B
Q2 25
$1.5B
$7.0B
Q1 25
$1.4B
$6.6B
Q4 24
$1.4B
$6.4B
Q3 24
$1.4B
$6.6B
Q2 24
$1.3B
$6.4B
Q1 24
$1.4B
$6.3B
Total Assets
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$3.8B
$10.6B
Q3 25
$3.8B
$10.4B
Q2 25
$3.8B
$10.4B
Q1 25
$3.8B
$10.1B
Q4 24
$3.6B
$10.0B
Q3 24
$3.7B
$10.2B
Q2 24
$3.6B
$10.1B
Q1 24
$3.6B
$11.1B
Debt / Equity
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
0.27×
Q3 25
0.70×
0.27×
Q2 25
0.27×
Q1 25
0.29×
Q4 24
0.32×
Q3 24
0.75×
0.33×
Q2 24
0.35×
Q1 24
0.50×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$126.0M
$298.2M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$57.0M
$199.5M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
6.7%
13.3%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
8.1%
6.6%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.73×
1.55×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$401.0M
$917.1M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$126.0M
$298.2M
Q3 25
$219.0M
$287.8M
Q2 25
$249.0M
$420.0M
Q1 25
$73.0M
$260.8M
Q4 24
$124.0M
$332.8M
Q3 24
$204.0M
$250.7M
Q2 24
$207.0M
$303.7M
Q1 24
$176.0M
$254.8M
Free Cash Flow
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
$57.0M
$199.5M
Q3 25
$155.0M
$201.3M
Q2 25
$188.0M
$326.4M
Q1 25
$1.0M
$189.9M
Q4 24
$47.0M
$243.6M
Q3 24
$112.0M
$148.8M
Q2 24
$155.0M
$195.7M
Q1 24
$133.0M
$163.3M
FCF Margin
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
6.7%
13.3%
Q3 25
17.2%
13.8%
Q2 25
20.4%
23.5%
Q1 25
0.1%
12.8%
Q4 24
4.9%
17.8%
Q3 24
11.2%
11.2%
Q2 24
15.3%
15.3%
Q1 24
13.1%
14.6%
Capex Intensity
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
8.1%
6.6%
Q3 25
7.1%
5.9%
Q2 25
6.6%
6.7%
Q1 25
7.7%
4.8%
Q4 24
8.1%
6.5%
Q3 24
9.2%
7.7%
Q2 24
5.1%
8.4%
Q1 24
4.2%
8.2%
Cash Conversion
CBT
CBT
STE
STE
Q4 25
1.73×
1.55×
Q3 25
5.09×
1.50×
Q2 25
2.47×
2.37×
Q1 25
0.78×
1.79×
Q4 24
1.33×
1.92×
Q3 24
1.49×
1.67×
Q2 24
1.90×
2.09×
Q1 24
2.10×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

CBT
CBT

Reinforcement Materials$520.0M61%
Performance Chemicals$300.0M35%
Shipping And Handling$25.0M3%
Other Products And Services$4.0M0%

STE
STE

Servicerevenues$404.7M27%
Consumablerevenues$387.1M26%
Applied Sterilization Technologies$286.6M19%
Capitalequipmentrevenues$272.1M18%
Life Science$145.8M10%

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