Aidan Lahey

Aidan Lahey, on behalf of Travis Steed, sought clarification on whether the organic growth guidance for 2026 backs out the DualCap divestiture, and asked about opportunities to deepen penetration or expand into new high-growth procedures beyond TAVR, EP, and renal.

Answer

CFO Raul Parra clarified that the organic growth guidance does not back out the divestiture, but he provided the impact: a 140 basis point headwind to constant currency growth and a 240 basis point headwind for US revenue. President and CEO Martha Aronson stated that while the company would consider entering new platforms, the primary focus is on existing platforms to ensure sales representatives have a full bag of the latest technology, rather than adding entirely new customer groups.

Aidan Lahey (on for Travis Steed) sought clarification on whether the 2026 organic growth guidance explicitly excludes the DualCap divestiture. She then asked if there are other procedures, beyond TAVR, EP, and renal, where Merit sees opportunities to deepen penetration or expand into new areas.

Answer

Raul Parra, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, clarified that the guidance does not explicitly back out the divestiture but provided its impact: a 140 basis point headwind to total constant currency growth (240 basis points for the US). Martha Aronson, President and CEO, stated that the primary focus is on existing platforms, leveraging the current distribution organization and sales representatives to ensure they have a full bag of the latest technology, rather than adding entirely new platforms.