Alcon rises on profit guidance hike, lowered tariff impact estimate

Investing.com -- Alcon lifted its full-year profit guidance late Monday and lowered its estimate for the annual tariff impact to $40 million to $90 million, from a prior range of $100 million to $150 million, factoring in an anticipated refund of around $60 million from the U.S. government.

The U.S. accounted for 45% of Alcon’s net sales in the first half of the year, and most of the company’s major production facilities are located there.

Shares rose more than 3% by 08:24 GMT.

The Swiss-American eye care company now expects its core operating profit margin to rise 90 to 190 basis points in 2026, up from a previous forecast of 70 to 170 basis points. It also raised its guidance for core diluted earnings per share growth for the second time this year, to 12% to 15%, from a prior range of 10% to 13% set in May.

Alcon maintained its full-year net sales growth guidance of 5% to 7% at constant currency.

Second-quarter net sales rose to $2.78 billion from $2.58 billion a year earlier, narrowly topping the LSEG-compiled analyst consensus. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.84, ahead of the $0.75 IBES estimate, driven by new product launches and strong commercial execution.

Core operating margin for the quarter was 20.6%.

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