CooperCompanies Announces New Chair of the Board and Strategic Review

Rhea-AI Summary

CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) announced that its Board appointed Colleen Jay as Chair, effective January 2, 2026, succeeding Robert Weiss, who will remain on the Board and stand for reelection for one final term.

The Board launched a formal strategic review of the company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation to identify opportunities to simplify the business and unlock long-term shareholder value, including partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers and other transactions. The company said it expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under its recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

Positive

• Colleen Jay named Chair effective January 2, 2026
• Formal strategic review launched to identify value-creation opportunities
• Capital deployment focus on a $2 billion share repurchase program

Negative

• Strategic review explicitly contemplates divestitures, mergers, or business combinations, creating potential near-term uncertainty for investors
• Board transition may prompt governance and leadership transition questions during the review period

Key Figures

Chair transition date January 2, 2026 Effective date for Colleen Jay to succeed Robert Weiss as Chair

Board tenure start 2016 Year Colleen Jay joined the CooperCompanies Board

Retirement year 2017 Year Colleen Jay retired from Procter & Gamble

P&G service length 32 years Length of Colleen Jay’s career at Procter & Gamble

Share repurchase program $2 billion Recently announced share repurchase program referenced as capital deployment focus

Market Reality Check

$77.30 Last Close

Volume Volume 3,733,650 is 35% above the 20-day average of 2,775,095, indicating elevated interest ahead of the review. high

Technical Trading above 200-day MA of 74.96 with current price at 77.30, showing a constructive pre-news trend.

Peers on Argus

COO ticked up 0.18% with elevated volume, while key peers showed mixed, generally modest moves, suggesting today’s driver is company-specific rather than sector-wide.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Nov 04	Earnings timing	Neutral	-0.3%	Announced date and time for Q4 and full-year 2025 results release.
Oct 01	Awareness campaign	Neutral	-0.7%	Participation in children’s vision awareness campaign on myopia and eye exams.
Sep 17	Buyback expansion	Positive	+4.5%	Board expanded share repurchase authorization to a total of $2 billion.
Aug 27	Q3 2025 earnings	Positive	-12.8%	Q3 revenue growth with mixed EPS and raised guidance but negative share reaction.
Aug 14	Conference participation	Neutral	-0.3%	Announcement of CEO participation at Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference.

Pattern Detected

Recent history shows largely muted reactions to routine news, but a notably strong positive move on the expanded share repurchase contrasted with a sharp selloff on Q3 results despite raised guidance.

Recent Company History

Over the last six months, COO’s news flow has centered on earnings, capital returns, and investor outreach. The Q3 2025 results on Aug 27 combined mid-single-digit revenue growth with mixed EPS trends and guidance updates, yet the stock fell 12.85%. By Sep 17, a buyback expansion to $2 billion saw shares gain 4.51%. Other items, including a conference appearance and an earnings release date notice, saw minimal price impact. Today’s governance changes and strategic review overlay this backdrop of active capital allocation and operational focus.

Regulatory & Risk Context

Short Interest

3.31%

0% 15% 30%+

low

Short interest at 3.31% of float and days-to-cover of 1.69 suggest limited short-squeeze risk and a relatively uncongested short base.

Market Pulse Summary

The stock is surging +10.3% following this news. A strong positive reaction aligns with prior sensitivity to capital return actions, such as the earlier move on the expanded $2 billion repurchase program. However, this announcement also launched a broad strategic review, which can introduce uncertainty as options like divestitures or mergers are evaluated. Low short interest at 3.31% limits short-squeeze dynamics, so sustainability would hinge more on execution and clarity from future updates.

Key Terms

strategic review financial

"The Company also announced a formal strategic review aimed at identifying opportunities"

A strategic review is a thorough examination of a company's goals, operations, and plans to determine the best way to move forward. It helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, guiding decisions on future actions. For investors, it provides insight into how a company plans to improve performance or adapt to changes, which can influence its long-term prospects.

operational efficiency technical

"expanding market share, enhancing operational efficiency, and generating strong returns"

Operational efficiency is the ability of a business to use its resources—such as time, labor, and materials—in the best possible way to produce goods or services. When a company operates efficiently, it can deliver more value with less waste or unnecessary cost. This matters to investors because higher efficiency often leads to better profitability and a stronger position in the market.

capital deployment financial

"returns through disciplined capital deployment initiatives."

Capital deployment is the process of allocating financial resources—such as money or assets—toward different projects or investments with the goal of generating returns or growth. It matters to investors because smart deployment can increase the value of their investments, while poor choices can lead to losses. Think of it like planting seeds in the right spots to ensure a healthy, fruitful harvest.

corporate structure financial

"review of the Company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations"

Corporate structure is the way a company is organized, including how its different parts—such as divisions, subsidiaries, and leadership—are arranged and connected. It determines who makes decisions and how resources and responsibilities are distributed, similar to an organizational chart or a family tree. For investors, understanding a company's structure helps assess its stability, management, and potential for growth.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

SAN RAMON, Calif., Dec. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO), a leading medical device company, announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Colleen Jay to succeed current Chair Robert Weiss, effective January 2, 2026. Mr. Weiss will remain on the Board and stand for reelection for the upcoming year, marking his final term. The Company also announced a formal strategic review aimed at identifying opportunities to enhance long-term shareholder value.

“Bob’s vision, industry knowledge, and leadership have been key to our success. I’m deeply grateful for his commitment and look forward to continuing our work together,” said Al White, President and CEO. “I’m also thrilled the Board appointed Colleen as Chair. Her track record of driving growth through global operational leadership, transformational innovation, strategy and execution make her a fantastic choice for this role.”

Ms. Jay has served on the Company’s Board since 2016. She retired from Procter & Gamble in 2017 as Global Division President after 32 years of increasing responsibility across the multinational consumer goods company. In her last operational role, she was President of the Global Beauty Specialty Business where she was responsible for several major brands and the successful divestiture of them. Prior to that, she led the multibillion-dollar Global Retail Hair Care and Color division of P&G from 2012 to 2015 and the Global Female Beauty division from 2010 to 2012.

Robert Weiss has been a cornerstone of CooperCompanies success for nearly five decades, serving as CEO from 2007 until his retirement in 2018. He also served as President of CooperVision, COO, and CFO over his distinguished career.

Strategic Review
CooperCompanies values constructive input from its shareholders and remains committed to profitable, sustainable growth to drive long-term shareholder value. The Company is actively focused on improving performance in core markets, expanding market share, enhancing operational efficiency, and generating strong returns through disciplined capital deployment initiatives. As part of these efforts, its Board and Management, with the assistance of its advisors, are undergoing a formal and comprehensive strategic review of the Company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation priorities to identify any additional opportunities to simplify the Company’s business and unlock long-term value, including through partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations and other transactions. During this period, the Company expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under the recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on helping people experience life’s beautiful moments through its two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, helping to improve the way people see each day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 15,000, sells products in over 130 countries, and positively impacts over fifty million lives each year. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to the Company’s formal strategic review, potential transactions, capital allocation priorities, share repurchase program, efforts to enhance long-term shareholder value, plans, strategies, future actions, and other statements of which are other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements necessarily depend on assumptions, data, or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Statements regarding future events and performance and contain words such as “expects” and similar words or phrases. The Company gives no assurances regarding any specific outcome or transaction resulting from a strategic review. Further, the Company has not established a timeline for completion of the review, and it does not intend to provide additional updates until it determines further disclosure is appropriate and necessary. A wide range of factors could materially affect future developments, including, but not limited to, uncertainties related to market conditions and other factors set forth in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual future results or actions to be materially different than those expressed in such forward-looking statements. We do not intend, or undertake any duty, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:
Kim Duncan
Vice President, Investor Relations and Risk Management
925-460-3663
ir@cooperco.com

FAQ

Who is the new Chair of the Board at CooperCompanies (COO) and when is the change effective?

Colleen Jay will succeed Robert Weiss as Chair, effective January 2, 2026.

What is CooperCompanies (COO) reviewing in its formal strategic review announced December 4, 2025?

The review covers the company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation to identify ways to simplify the business and unlock long-term value.

Will CooperCompanies (COO) consider M&A or divestitures during the strategic review?

Yes. The Board said the review may include partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations and other transactions.

How will CooperCompanies (COO) deploy capital during the strategic review period?

The company expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under its recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

Will Robert Weiss remain involved with CooperCompanies (COO) after the Chair transition?

Yes. Robert Weiss will remain on the Board and will stand for reelection for the upcoming year, marking his final term.

Does the strategic review signal immediate changes to CooperCompanies (COO) operations or structure?

The company described a formal and comprehensive review to identify opportunities; it did not announce any completed transactions or final decisions.