Sotera Health Company (SHC) experienced a significant pre-market plunge of 5.07% on Tuesday, reversing from earlier gains following the release of its first-quarter financial results and a leadership transition announcement.

The company reported Q1 revenue of $280.05 million, beating analyst estimates, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.18, which also exceeded expectations. However, investors focused on a key miss as the company's pretax profit came in at $42.613 million, significantly below the IBES estimate of $71.5 million. This substantial shortfall appears to have triggered the sell-off, overshadowing other positive aspects of the report.

Concurrently, Sotera Health announced a planned CEO transition, with Alton Shader set to take over as chief executive on May 26, while current CEO Michael B. Petras, Jr. will move to the role of Executive Chairman. The combination of the pretax profit disappointment amid otherwise strong results and a leadership change contributed to the stock's volatility in the pre-market session.