Lawrence Biegelsen's questions to COOPER COMPANIES (COO) leadership • Q3 2025
Question
Lawrence Biegelsen of Wells Fargo asked for reasons behind the contact lens market's slowdown to 4% growth and questioned if consumer softness was a factor. He also sought a reaction to the 9% consensus EPS growth for fiscal 2026 and clarification on targets for operating income growth, the impact of tariffs, and the expected tax rate.
Answer
President and CEO Al White attributed the market slowdown partly to moderating price increases, especially outside the U.S., and acknowledged a potential for slight consumer softness. CFO Brian Andrews stated that while the company targets low double-digit constant currency OI growth over a multi-year period, specific 2026 guidance would be provided in December. He confirmed the plan is to offset tariff impacts but did not commit to a specific OI growth number for next year, suggesting the analyst's tax rate assumption was fair.