Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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Alcon shares dropped 11.6% after cutting its 2025 sales forecast due to U.S. tariffs. The company aims to offset impacts through operational changes.
By Simon Ferdinand Eibach and Bartosz Dabrowski
(Reuters) -Shares in Alcon fell as much as 11.6% on Wednesday after the Swiss-American eye care group cut its 2025 sales outlook late on Tuesday flagging the impact of U.S. tariffs.
The company now forecasts a full-year gross tariff impact of around $100 million from $80 million previously. It said it expects to offset that through operational changes and foreign exchange movements.
The company also lowered its projected net sales range to $10.3 to $10.4 billion from $10.4 to $10.5 billion forecasted in May.
The U.S. tariff rate of 39% on goods from Switzerland is higher than it is with nearly any other Western trading partner.
Alcon posted a 4% rise in its second-quarter sales to $2.58 billion, missing analysts' average forecast of $2.63 billion, according to LSEG data.
Revenues at its surgical implantables business fell 2% to $456 million during the period. It said demand for its surgical products was relatively weak due to competitive pressures and soft market conditions.
"Eye specialists are holding back on equipment investments due to market uncertainty and the knowledge that Alcon is launching new devices," Vontobel analyst Sibylle Bischofberger said.
Alcon has launched several products in the U.S. this year, including Tryptyr, a neuromodulator eye drop for dry eye disease, and PanOptix Pro, a next-generation intraocular lens for cataract surgery.
Alcon reported an operating margin of 9.6% in the second quarter, below last year's 12.8%.
(Reporting by Simon Ferdinand Eibach and Bartosz Dabrowski in Gdansk; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
Alcon's shares fell as much as 11.6% after the company cut its 2025 sales outlook, citing the impact of U.S. tariffs.
Alcon now forecasts a full-year gross tariff impact of around $100 million, up from $80 million previously.
The company lowered its projected net sales range to $10.3 to $10.4 billion, down from the previous forecast of $10.4 to $10.5 billion.
The U.S. tariff rate on goods from Switzerland is currently 39%, which is higher than that of nearly any other Western trading partner.
Alcon has launched several products in the U.S. this year, including Tryptyr, a neuromodulator eye drop for dry eye disease, and PanOptix Pro, a next-generation intraocular lens for cataract surgery.
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