Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO) Raised to Hold at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded Cooper Companies to “hold,” joining a broader analyst consensus of “Hold” with an average price target of $68.60. Other recent analysts have lowered price targets, while ratings range from buy to strong sell.
• Cooper Companies shares opened at $54.75, down 3%, near their 52-week low of $51.01. The company slightly exceeded quarterly EPS expectations but reported revenue below forecasts.
• The board approved a $3 billion share-repurchase program, while insiders purchased roughly $1.88 million of stock over the past 90 days—potential signals that management and directors view the selloff as creating value.

Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Barclays to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

COO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Cooper Companies from $75.00 to $66.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of Cooper Companies in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price objective on Cooper Companies from $86.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings raised Cooper Companies from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Cooper Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $68.60.

Cooper Companies Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of COO opened at $54.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.83. Cooper Companies has a 1 year low of $51.01 and a 1 year high of $89.83. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $66.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.85.

Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The medical device company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.03. Cooper Companies had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 10.90%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. Cooper Companies's quarterly revenue was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. Cooper Companies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.050-1.090 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.510-4.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Cooper Companies will post 4.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cooper Companies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, September 9th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical device company to purchase up to 22.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Cooper Companies

In other news, Director Lawrence Kurzius acquired 10,000 shares of Cooper Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $53.91 per share, with a total value of $539,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,137,447.09. This trade represents a 90.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul Keel acquired 4,701 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $53.18 per share, with a total value of $249,999.18. Following the purchase, the director owned 4,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at $249,999.18. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 34,701 shares of company stock worth $1,880,039. Insiders own 2.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cooper Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Cooper Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,077,762,000. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in Cooper Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $356,304,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Cooper Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $305,074,000. London Co. of Virginia purchased a new position in shares of Cooper Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $170,016,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Cooper Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $144,125,000. 24.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Cooper Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Cooper Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director John Kurzius purchased 10,000 COO shares for approximately $539,100. The sizable open-market purchase may signal that the director believes the recent selloff has created attractive value. Cooper Companies Director Kurzius Buys 10,000 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Recently appointed director Paul Keel bought approximately $250,000 of Cooper Companies stock, adding another insider-confidence signal amid the share-price weakness. Recently Appointed Cooper Companies Director Paul Keel Buys Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Director Rosebrough purchased 10,000 shares at a weighted average price of $54.16, a position representing roughly 92% of his previously reported equity holdings. The size relative to his prior holdings may be viewed as a strong personal commitment. Cooper Companies Director Rosebrough Buys Shares

About Cooper Companies

CooperCompanies NASDAQ: COO is a global medical device company focused on improving vision and advancing women's health. Its operations are organized primarily through CooperVision and CooperSurgical, which develop, manufacture and distribute products for eye care, fertility and other areas of reproductive health.

CooperVision offers a broad range of contact lenses, including lenses for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. Its portfolio includes daily disposable, reusable and specialty lenses, as well as products designed to address the progression of myopia in children and adolescents.

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