Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) has trimmed its fiscal year 2026 (FY26) profit outlook to account for the spin-off of its biosciences & diagnostic solutions business, prompting its share price to fall by 3%.
BD reached a $17.5bn agreement to merge the unit with Waters, a laboratory equipment maker, in July 2025 and announced the deal’s formal completion alongside its Q1 2026 financials, released ahead of market open on 9 February.
Due to the completed transaction with Waters, BD said it now expects FY26 earnings per share (EPS) to fall in the $12.35 to $12.65 per share range, down from $14.75 to $15.05 as previously mooted in the company’s FY25 results, released in November 2025.
The adjustment prompted BD’s shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to fall by almost 3% to $204 per share at market open on 9 February, down from $210.02 at market close on the day prior. BD has a market cap of $59.09bn.
Despite the market response, BD CEO Tom Polen said in a statement that the company’s Q1 FY2026 results were “stronger than expected.”
BD achieved profits of $5.25bn in the quarter, corresponding to a 1.6% rise on Q1 FY2025. Medical essentials was the strongest performing vertical at $1.60bn, although it was the weakest growth area at just 0.6% growth versus Q1 FY2025. The other strongest performing verticals for BD were interventional and connected care at $1.33bn and $1.13bn, respectively.
Meanwhile, BD interventional represented the biggest growth vertical versus Q1 FY2025 at 5.8%, followed by connected care and biopharma systems with growth of 5.5% and 2.7%, respectively.
Polen commented: “We delivered stronger‑than‑expected first‑quarter performance which reflects our disciplined execution, including accelerated commercial initiatives and broad‑based growth across key end markets.”
Reflecting on the completion of the transaction with Waters, Polen continued: "With this significant milestone in our strategy to drive shareholder value, we fully pivot to New BD and the next chapter of the company's growth.”
Boston Scientific also experienced a fall in its stock price after releasing its 2025 financials. The medtech giant's shares fell by 18% after releasing its earnings ahead of market open on 4 February, with investors homing in on relatively flat sales within the company's electrophysiology (EP) and Watchman segments that represent two of its key revenue drivers.
