CooperCompanies' stock fell because of weak fourth-quarter guidance, and the decision to retain CooperSurgical gave investors two disappointments at once.
In its Sept. 9 report, Cooper's fiscal 2026 fourth-quarter revenue forecast fell below Wall Street's estimate.
U.S. distributor destocking will remain the key test for CooperVision in Q4.
Cooper Companies Inc (NASDAQ: COO) shares fell roughly 13.9% as of 2:12 a.m. ET on Sept. 10, 2026, after the company's earnings report disappointed Wall Street with weak guidance and a decision to not sell CooperSurgical.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were both down 0.6%.
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Cooper, a medical-device company, released its Q3 numbers yesterday, reporting adjusted earnings of $1.15 per share. While that beat estimates, it missed estimates on its top-line, reporting $1.07 billion in sales.
The real issue was the company's Q4 earnings forecast of $1.05 per share to $1.09 per share, which came in well below Wall Street's $1.19 estimate.
Cooper's board said that after a comprehensive strategic review, the company will not sell CooperSurgical. Investors had driven up the stock price in anticipation of a deal.
Image source: Getty Images.
The company said that lower inventory at U.S. contact-lens distributors would keep hurting its 2026 numbers for the vision side of the business. The decision to keep the surgical side might help buffer earnings in the short term, but make the stock less attractive in the long term.
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Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.