WST

The companies you own inside this consumer staples fund are collectively signaling stronger profits are on the way. The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) returned +9.4% over the past year, but the more telling signal for what comes next lies inside the fund itself. Among its largest holdings, companies making up 32% of the fund's total weight have recently raised their forward guidance for earnings, revenue, or cash flow. A Decidedly Positive Lean That figure is the key to understanding the fund's forward momentum. It stands in sharp contrast to the holdings that trimmed their outlook, which account for just 10.7% of the fund. The rest left their guidance unchanged. When you own an index fund, you own the collective trajectory of its companies, and right now, the weight of the evidence is pointing toward improving fundamentals. Who's Pulling the Weight? This positive tilt isn't abstract; it's driven by specific, heavyweight positions. The single biggest contributor was Walmart (WMT), which accounts for more than 10% of the fund and raised its EPS guidance by 8%. Other large holdings like Coca-Cola (KO), at 7.0% of the fund, also nudged their forecasts higher, showing the positive sentiment is not isolated to a single name. Of course, not every company is on the same path. The most significant downward revision came from Philip Morris International (PM). At 6.1% of the fund, it lowered its EPS guidance by 4%. But on balance, the positive revisions from companies like Walmart carry far more weight across the portfolio. A Signal That Can Lead the Price Why does this matter for you as an owner of XLP? A company’s own guidance is one of the earliest indicators of its future earnings power. When you see a broad-based tilt where the weight of companies raising their outlook is nearly three times the weight of those cutting it, it suggests the fund's underlying earnings momentum is strengthening. This kind of forward-looking check is important, as sometimes a fund's price can get ahead of its fundamentals. For an investor in XLP, this is the bottom line. You own a basket of companies that are, in aggregate, telling the market to expect better results ahead. While no signal is a guarantee, having the fund's own holdings guide their earnings higher provides a fundamental tailwind that a simple price chart or trailing valuation multiple doesn't...

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. ISRG reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.80, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.48 by 12.9%. The bottom line increased 27.9% from $2.19 in the year-ago quarter. GAAP EPS was $2.28 versus $1.92 a year ago. Revenues rose 18.5% year over year to $2.89 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion by 3.1%. Growth reflected higher procedure volumes, system leasing revenues and expansion of the installed base. Worldwide da Vinci and Ion procedures increased about 16%. Recurring revenues reached $2.47 billion and represented about 85% of total quarterly revenues, highlighting the importance of procedure-driven instruments, accessories, leasing and service sales. Despite this robust quarterly performance, the stock was down 10.8% during after-hours trading on July 16, likely due to weaker sequential procedure growth. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. Quote ISRG’s Instruments Revenues Rise 18% Instruments and accessories revenues increased 17.7% year over year to $1.73 billion. Growth was driven by higher da Vinci and Ion procedure volumes, along with a favorable mix of da Vinci 5 and single-port procedures. Worldwide da Vinci procedure volume increased roughly 15% year over year, while Ion procedures climbed approximately 36%. U.S. da Vinci procedures rose 12%, led by general surgery, while procedures outside the United States advanced 20%. Management noted some moderation in deferrable U.S. procedures, partly reflecting patient coverage and premium dynamics. Bariatric procedures also declined in the high-single digits amid increased use of GLP-1 obesity drugs. International growth remained strong, particularly in India, Italy, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Da Vinci instruments and accessories revenue per procedure was approximately $1,830, up from $1,800 a year earlier. Higher adoption of Force Feedback instruments and newer platforms supported the metric, while customer ordering patterns, increased cholecystectomy procedures and lower bariatric volumes limited growth. ISRG System Placements Gain on da Vinci 5 Systems revenues totaled $685 million, up 19.2% from the prior-year quarter’s level. Intuitive Surgical placed 468 da Vinci systems, an 18.5% increase from 395 systems a year ago. The total included 246 da Vinci 5 systems...

Fractyl Health, Inc. GUTS reported positive one-year results from the randomized, sham-controlled Midpoint Cohort of its REMAIN-1 study, demonstrating that the investigational Revita duodenal mucosal resurfacing system helped patients maintain a significant portion of GLP-1-induced weight loss after discontinuing tirzepatide. Patients who underwent the Revita procedure retained up to 84% of their GLP-1-associated weight loss in a year, compared with 46% in the sham group, while the therapy continued to exhibit a favorable safety and tolerability profile. The latest data strengthen the investment case for Fractyl by supporting Revita's potential to address the growing need for durable weight maintenance following GLP-1 discontinuation, a market with limited treatment options. The encouraging findings also de-risk the company's upcoming catalysts, including top-line six-month data from the REMAIN-1 Pivotal Cohort expected in early fourth-quarter 2026 and a potential FDA De Novo marketing application submission later in the quarter, both of which could serve as important value-driving events. Shares of GUTS have surged almost 14% since the announcement yesterday. In the year-to-date period, shares of the company have lost 58.7% compared with the industry’s 1.7% decline. The S&P 500 increased 10.3% in the same time frame. The positive REMAIN-1 Midpoint Cohort results strengthen Fractyl's long-term growth prospects by reinforcing Revita's potential to become the first procedural therapy for durable weight maintenance after GLP-1 discontinuation, an emerging market with significant unmet need. As more patients discontinue GLP-1 drugs due to cost, side effects or long-term treatment burden, Revita could offer a one-time, minimally invasive alternative to preserve weight loss. The encouraging data also improve the likelihood of favorable pivotal study outcomes and regulatory progress, potentially paving the way for commercialization, broader physician adoption and a meaningful revenue opportunity if approved. GUTS currently has a market capitalization of $126.9 million. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Beyond the encouraging efficacy findings, Revita continued to demonstrate a favorable safety profile for a year. No device or procedure-related serious adverse events were reported, while no new device-related treatment-emergent adverse events were observed bet...

Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates. The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 23. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower. While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise. This medical device company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.08 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +13%. Revenues are expected to be $836.8 million, up 9.2% from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.03% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period. Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction). The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier. Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictiv...

Danaher Corporation DHR is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 results on July 21, before market open.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $6.09 billion, which indicates an increase of 2.6% from the year-ago quarter’s figure. The consensus mark for earnings is pinned at $1.84 per share, which has increased a penny in the past seven days. The estimate indicates an increase of 2.2% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. The company’s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average beat being 6.7%.Let’s see how things have shaped up for Danaher this earnings season. Strength in the bioprocessing business, driven by an increase in demand for consumables from large pharmaceutical customers in Western Europe and China, is expected to have aided the Biotechnology segment. The segment’s performance is also likely to have benefited from solid momentum in the medical filtration and research consumables business. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s total sales is pegged at $1.95 billion, indicating a 5.5% rise from the year-ago reported number.Strength in the clinical diagnostics businesses, led by growth in clinical lab and pathology diagnostics units, is expected to drive the Diagnostics segment’s results. However, softness in the molecular diagnostics business due to sluggish demand for respiratory tests is likely to have been a spoilsport. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s total sales is pegged at $2.33 billion, indicating a 0.7% rise from the year-ago reported number.Solid momentum in filtration and consumables businesses is likely to have boosted the performance of the Life Sciences segment in the quarter. For the second quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segment’s total sales is pegged at $1.79 billion, indicating a 0.8% rise from the year-ago reported number.In June 2026, Danaher acquired Masimo Corp. for $9.9 billion. The addition of Masimo’s advanced sensor technology and AI-enabled monitoring enabled Danaher to enhance its diagnostics portfolio. The buyout is expected to have boosted DHR’s performance during the quarter.However, the escalating costs and operating expenses, due to increasing input costs and product mix changes, are likely to have weighed on DHR’s bottom line in the to-be-re...

AngioDynamics, Inc. ANGO reported an adjusted loss per share of 7 cents for fourth-quarter fiscal 2026, wider than the year-ago quarter’s adjusted loss of 3 cents but narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 11 cents. On a pro-forma basis (excluding the divested Dialysis and BioSentry businesses, the divested PICC and Midline product portfolios and the discontinued Radiofrequency and Syntrax products), adjusted loss per share for fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 was also 7 cents, wider than the 5 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. On a pro-forma basis, the fiscal fourth-quarter GAAP loss per share was 27 cents, wider than the year-ago period’s 15 cents. Full-year fiscal 2026 adjusted loss per share was 15 cents, flat compared to the figure at the end of the fiscal 2025 period. The figure came narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 23 cents per share. On a pro-forma basis, full-year fiscal 2026 adjusted loss per share was 24 cents, narrower than 25 cents at the end of the comparable fiscal 2025 period. Revenues in the fiscal fourth quarter totaled $86.6 million, up 8% year over year both on a reported and pro forma basis. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.6%. The company continued to see strong contributions from its Med Tech (which includes the Auryon peripheral atherectomy platform, the thrombus management platform and the NanoKnife irreversible electroporation platform) and Med Device businesses during the quarter. Full-year fiscal 2026 revenues were $320.2 million, up 9.5% on a reported basis and up 9.4% on a pro forma basis from the comparable fiscal 2025 period. The figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.9%. Shares of this company traded flat during yesterday’s after-hours trading. In the quarter under review, U.S. net revenues totaled $73.6 million, up 9.1% year over year both on a reported and pro forma basis. This figure compares to our U.S. net revenues’ fiscal fourth-quarter projection of $69 million. International revenues came in at $13 million, up 2.7% from the year-ago quarter, both on a reported and pro forma basis. This figure compares to our fiscal fourth-quarter International revenues’ projection of $11.5 million. AngioDynamics derives revenues from two businesses — Med Tech and Med Device. Med Tech The Med Tech business’ net sales in the fiscal fourth quarter were $41.8 million, ref...

Quest Diagnostics DGX is set to release second-quarter 2026 results on July 23, before the market opens. In the last reported quarter, the renowned diagnostics provider posted adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.50, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.49%. The company beat on earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.50%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $2.98 billion, indicating an increase of 7.9% from the year-ago reported figure. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s EPS suggests a 7.3% rise to $2.81. Estimates for Quest Diagnostics’ Q2 earnings have remained unchanged in the past 30 days. Here’s a brief review of the company’s performance leading up to the announcement. As in the previous quarter, second-quarter 2026 revenues are expected to have been supported by broad-based demand for its clinical innovations, expansion into new clinical areas, and partnerships with leading healthcare and consumer health organizations. In the physician channel, a key driver has likely been geographic expansion from greater health plan access, expanding the reach of Quest Diagnostics’ lab services. Enterprise accounts might have contributed additional revenues from new customer wins and expanded business. The company's entry into end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a new clinical area, is expected to have boosted revenues in the to-be-reported quarter. Growth in the hospital channel may have been driven by Co-Lab solutions, which leverages the company’s lab and process management expertise to optimize quality and drive cost efficiencies. Early in 2026, DGX began scaling its Co-Lab solutions across all 21 hospitals of Corewell Health, its largest implementation to date. This is expected to have had a positive impact on revenues. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated price-eps-surprise | Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Quote In the consumer channel, as in recent quarters, the company is likely to have generated strong revenue growth from both questhealth.com and its portfolio of leading consumer health collaborations. This growth is expected to have been driven by notable demand for its new solutions such as the Elite health profile and autoimmune and hormone tests. In the second quarter of 2026, the company is likely to have maintained momentum in Advanced Diagnostics, which includes non-routine and...

EXTON, Pa., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST), a global leader in innovative solutions for injectable drug administration, today announced that it will release second-quarter 2026 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, July 23, 2026, and will follow with a conference call to discuss the results and business expectations at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The live webcast can be accessed by clicking here. To ask questions on the conference call, participants need to register in advance by clicking here. Registered telephone participants will receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that will enable them to ask questions on the call. A slide presentation will be made available on the day of the call in the Investors section of the Company's website. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website for approximately 90 days after the event. About West West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-quality injectable solutions and services. As a trusted partner to established and emerging drug developers, West helps ensure the safe, effective containment and delivery of life-saving and life-enhancing medicines for patients. With over 10,000 team members across 50 sites including 26 manufacturing facilities worldwide, West helps support our customers by delivering over 41 billion components and devices each year. Headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, West in its fiscal year 2025 generated $3.07 billion in net sales. West is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: WST) and is included in the Standard & Poor's 500 index. For more information, visit www.westpharma.com. All trademarks and registered trademarks used in this release are the property of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. or its subsidiaries, in the United States and other jurisdictions, unless otherwise noted. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/west-to-host-second-quarter-2026-conference-call-302818743.html

Track your investments for FREE with Simply Wall St, the portfolio command center trusted by over 7 million individual investors worldwide. West Pharmaceutical Services has delivered a strong 65.1% return over the past year, yet its valuation checks and current pricing suggest the stock is far from a clear bargain. Over the last 12 months, West Pharmaceutical Services shares are up 65.1%. This puts extra focus on whether recent gains already reflect investors' expectations. Anticipation of ongoing earnings growth and portfolio changes such as the sale of certain SmartDose manufacturing rights can support a higher valuation. Any disappointment around future profitability or product execution may weigh heavily on what investors are willing to pay. West Pharmaceutical Services screens as overvalued on earnings multiples and scores 0 out of 6 broader valuation checks. On this framework, the stock currently looks expensive rather than like a clear bargain. The issue now is whether West Pharmaceutical Services' current share price fairly reflects its prospects or leaves investors paying too much for recent momentum. West Pharmaceutical Services delivered 65.1% returns over the last year. See how this stacks up to the rest of the Life Sciences industry. The P/E ratio is a useful way to judge what investors are willing to pay today for each dollar of West Pharmaceutical Services' earnings. Right now, the stock trades on about 47.6x earnings, which is higher than the Life Sciences industry average of roughly 37.4x and also above the peer average of about 42.9x. On a more tailored basis, a fair P/E multiple for West Pharmaceutical Services is estimated at around 22.4x when considering its size, margins, sector and risk profile. That is well below the current 47.6x, indicating investors are paying a significant premium to what this framework suggests would be reasonable. Despite recent optimism around upcoming earnings and the SmartDose 3.5mL transaction, the current pricing already reflects a substantial amount of positive expectations. Overall, West Pharmaceutical Services appears expensive on the P/E multiple, with its shares trading at a notable premium to both tailored and industry benchmarks. See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown. Simply Wall St Narratives for West Pharmaceutical Services take the valuation puzzle a step...

Exton, Pennsylvania-based West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST) designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products. Valued at $25.4 billion by market cap, the company’s technologies include the design and manufacture of packaging components, research and development of drug delivery systems, and contract laboratory services and other services. The leading manufacturer of containment and delivery systems is expected to announce its fiscal second-quarter earnings for 2026 in the near term. Ahead of the event, analysts expect WST to report a profit of $2.08 per share on a diluted basis, up 13% from $1.84 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street’s EPS estimates in its last four quarterly reports. CEO Phong Le Bought 11,000 Shares of MicroStrategy Preferred Stock as STRC Hit All-Time Lows S&P Futures Slip With Focus on U.S. ADP Jobs Report and Warsh’s Remarks Analysts at UBS Say Advanced Micro Devices Stock Could Rally to $670 Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! For the full year, analysts expect WST to report EPS of $8.60, up 18% from $7.29 in fiscal 2025. Its EPS is expected to rise 10.5% year-over-year to $9.50 in fiscal 2027. WST stock has outperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 20.7% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up 64.1% during this period. Similarly, it outperformed the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLV) 16.7% returns over the same time frame. WST beat on surging HVP component demand and manufacturing improvements, with biologics up 26% and GLP-1/non-GLP-1 products gaining traction. CEO Eric Green pointed to strong execution and European output gains, while Annex 1-driven upgrades are shifting mix toward higher-margin products. Management lifted its outlook on HVP momentum and biologics penetration, with CFO Robert McMahon seeing continued margin expansion, though macro conditions warrant prudent forecasting. Analysts’ consensus opinion on WST stock is bullish, with a “Strong Buy” rating overall. Out of 16 analysts covering the stock, 14 advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” and one gives a “Hold.” While WST currently trades above its mean price t...

The Cooper Companies, Inc. COO posted second-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, up 26.0% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10 by 10.0%. Operational improvements have driven bottom-line growth. GAAP loss per share for the quarter was 40 cents, significantly down from the year-ago period’s GAAP EPS of 44 cents, affected by a litigation-related charge tied to the resolution of claims associated with a December 2023 voluntary product recall at CooperSurgical. Revenues totaled $1.08 billion, up 8% year over year on a reported basis and up 5% organically. The figure topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.05 billion by 2.6%. The quarterly revenues were up 5% year over year at constant exchange rate (CER). The top-line growth was driven by steady demand across CooperVision and CooperSurgical, alongside new product launches and continued operating discipline. Shares of COO were up 5.3% in after-hours trading following the earnings call. The company’s shares have lost 24.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry’s 10.4% decline. However, the S&P 500 Index was up 10.3% during the same period. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research COO conducts its business via two reportable segments — CooperVision (“CVI”) and CooperSurgical (“CSI”). COO delivered record quarterly revenues as both operating segments contributed to growth. For the second quarter of fiscal 2026, the CVI segment’s revenues totaled $723.5 million, up 8% year over year on a reported basis and 4% at CER as well as organically. This figure compares to our segmental projection of $711 million. Growth was supported by strong sales of MyDay and MiSight, combined with rising sales of Biofinity, torics and multifocals. MyDay lenses continued its double-digit growth rate. Biofinity grew 5% organically, while MiSight delivered strong growth of 24%. However, softness in Clariti lens sales continued in the fiscal second quarter as the global contact lens market continues to trend toward premium offerings, which included MyDay offerings. Category-wise, CVI derives revenues from Toric and multifocal, Sphere and others. In the fiscal second quarter, Toric and multifocal revenues totaled $364.9 million, up 11% year over year on a reported basis, and up 7% organically as well as at CER. This figure compares to our projection of $355 million. Sphere an...

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Henry Schein (HSIC). Shares have added about 4.6% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500. Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Henry Schein due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts. Henry Schein, Inc. registered first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of $1.32, up 14.8% from the year-ago period’s figure. The bottom line also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.3%. Excluding adjustments, such as restructuring costs, acquisition intangible amortization and others, the company reported a GAAP earnings per share of 92 cents compared with the year-ago quarter’s 88 cents. HSIC’s Revenues in Detail Henry Schein reported first-quarter net sales of $3.37 billion, up 6.3% year over year. The metric also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.15%. Excluding 0.7% sales growth from acquisitions and a 3.1% increase from foreign currency exchange, internal sales growth was 2.5%. HSIC’s Q1 Segmental Analysis Sales in the Global Distribution and Value-Added Services segment was $2.84 billion, up 6.1% year over year on a reported basis and reflects 2.5% internal sales growth.Our model forecast was $2.77 billion. Within this, Global Dental Distribution merchandise sales reflected 3% internal sales growth year over year, with continuing strong momentum in the United States. Global Dental Distribution equipment sales witnessed 3.5% internal sales growth. Global Medical Distribution sales for the quarter saw 1.3% internal sales growth. Global Value-added Services sales highlighted 7.8% internal sales growth in the quarter. The Global Specialty Products segment reported $397 million in sales, up 8.1% on a reported basis (1.7% internal sales growth). Our model forecast was $405.9 million. Lastly, sales in Global Technology totaled $173 million, up 7% on a reported basis and reflected 6.9% internal sales growth. Our model projected $175.6 million for this segment. HSIC’s Margin Performance In the reported quarter, the gross profit totaled $1.07 billion, representing a 7% increase year over year. The gross margin expanded 20 basis points (bps) to 31.8% despite a 6% rise in the cost of s...