Mettler-Toledo International MTD delivered first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $8.91 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus by 2.44%. The bottom line increased 8.8% on a year-over-year basis.
Net sales were $947.1 million, up 7% year over year (up 3% in local currency), beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.04%.
MTD Navigates a More Uneven Regional Backdrop
On a local-currency basis, MTD’s sales increased 2% in the Americas, 1% in Europe, and 5% in Asia/Rest of World in the quarter. Excluding acquisitions, local-currency sales increased 1%, including flat performance in the Americas and 3% growth in Asia/Rest of World.
Americas sales rose to $389 million from $378 million, representing 41% of total revenues, Europe sales increased to $279 million from $248 million, representing 29% of total revenue, and Asia/Rest of World sales rose to $279 million from $258 million, which accounted for 29% of total revenues.
Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. Quote
Mettler-Toledo Sees Mixed Growth Across Product Lines
By product category, Mettler-Toledo’s Laboratory business generated $525 million of sales in the first quarter compared with $500 million a year ago. Industrial sales rose to $375 million from $341 million, while Food Retail increased to $48 million from $42 million, taking total segment sales to $947 million from $884 million.
On a local-currency basis, Laboratory was up 1%, Industrial up 5%, and Food Retail up 7%, with total reported down 3% in that specific local-currency view. The company also noted that local-currency growth excluding acquisitions was 1%, including flat sales growth in Laboratory and 2% in Industrial for the three months ended March 31, 2026.
Mettler-Toledo’s Q1 Operating Details
Gross profit was $555.8 million, implying a gross margin of 58.7% compared with 59.5% in the year-ago period, a decline of 80 basis points.
Operating expense lines showed measured growth. Research and development expense was $51.3 million, up 10.6% year over year. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $258.3 million, up 6.4% year over year.
Adjusted operating profit increased 4% year over year to $246.2 million. The adjusted operating margin was 26%, which declined 80 bps year over year.
MTD’s Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
As of March 31, 2026, Mettler-Toledo’s cash and cash-equivalent balance was $60.5 million, down from $66.9 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. The long-term debt was $2.16 billion as of March 31, 2026.
Cash flow from operating activities totaled $139.8 million in the quarter, while adjusted free cash flow was $119.7 million.
On capital allocation, the company repurchased $206.3 million of common stock during the period.
Mettler-Toledo’s Q2 & FY26 Guidance
Management cautioned that market conditions remain uncertain and “could change quickly,” but guided for second-quarter 2026 local-currency sales growth of approximately 3%. Adjusted earnings for the second quarter are forecasted to be in the range of $10.70 to $10.85 per share, implying 6% to 8% growth year over year.
For 2026, MTD reaffirmed expected local-currency sales growth of approximately 4% and raised adjusted earnings guidance to $46.30 to $46.95 per share from the prior outlook of $46.05 to $46.70.
MTD Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Mettler-Toledo currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Medical sector include Agilent Technologies A, Agenus AGEN, and Doximity DOCS. While Agenus stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Agilent Technologies and Doximity stock carry a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Shares of Agilent Technologies have lost 12.8% in the year-to-date period. Agilent Technologies is set to report the second quarter of fiscal 2026 results on May 27.
Agenus shares have gained 19.4% in the year-to-date period. Agenus is scheduled to report its first-quarter 2026 results on May 11.
Doximity shares have lost 41.3% in the year-to-date period. Doximity is set to report its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on May 13.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Agilent Technologies, Inc. (A): Free Stock Analysis Report
Agenus Inc. (AGEN): Free Stock Analysis Report
Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (MTD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Doximity, Inc. (DOCS): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).