Zimmer Biomet Q1 2026 Sales Growth and EPS Performance Insights

Zimmer Biomet: Q1 2026 sales growth and EPS increase after the guidance change (analysis)

1) What Zimmer Biomet actually delivered in Q1 2026 (sales growth + EPS)

Sales growth (Q1 2026):

• Organic constant-currency sales growth was 2.9% in Q1 2026, and management described this as “at the upper end” of the annual 2026 revenue guidance range. ¹
• Net sales were $2.087 billion, up 9.3% reported basis and 2.9% excluding foreign currency and the Paragon 28 acquisition. ²

EPS increase (Q1 2026):

• Adjusted diluted EPS was $2.09, up 15% year-over-year versus $1.81 in the prior-year quarter. ¹²
• Management attributed the adjusted EPS increase to higher revenue, a tariff benefit, and lower share count, partially offset by increased commercial investments. ²

Context on the “guidance change” mentioned on the call:

• While the excerpts show management raising full-year adjusted EPS and free cash flow growth expectations, the company also maintained the full-year organic constant-currency revenue growth guidance of 1% to 3%, and specifically said it was maintaining that revenue guidance despite other changes. ³⁴
• The guidance change, per the excerpts, was therefore more about EPS/free cash flow expectations than about changing the full-year revenue growth band upward. ³⁴

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2) How the tariff and other items influenced Q1 performance (key drivers behind EPS)

A major contributor to Q1 EPS strength was tariff-related benefit:

• Management said Q1 results included a $0.20 benefit from tariff-related items relative to expectations. ¹
• The adjusted EPS driver list also explicitly included the tariff benefit. ²

Other operational/financial contributors to EPS in Q1:

• Management cited higher revenue and lower share count as contributors to adjusted EPS growth. ²
• They also noted increased commercial investments as a partial offset. ²

Net margin context (to interpret EPS quality):

• Adjusted gross margin was 73%, and management attributed it to favorable mix and a benefit from tariffs. ²
• Adjusted operating margin was 27.3%. ²

Analytical takeaway:
Q1 EPS strength was not purely “operational improvement”; it was meaningfully assisted by tariff-related benefits (a $0.20 EPS benefit and gross margin benefit). ¹² That matters for evaluating how much of the Q1 EPS surge is likely to persist absent similar tariff effects.

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3) The sales-growth story: why 2.9% organic growth still made management confident

Even with U.S. commercial transformation underway, management characterized Q1 as strategically strong:

• Sales grew 2.9% organically in constant currency, at the upper end of the annual 2026 revenue guidance range. ¹
• Management described growth drivers including opportunistic end-of-quarter purchases, momentum from recently launched products, and strong robotic sales. ²

Segment-level detail reinforcing that growth wasn’t just one product line:

• U.S. business increased 3.2% and international grew 2.5%. ⁵
• Knee growth: U.S. knee +2.2%, supported by >20% increase in partial knee cells from Oxford Partial Cementless Knee, while pressure existed in legacy Toran knee implants due to phase-outs. ⁵
• Hip growth: U.S. hip franchise +5%, with traction in a hip “triple play” (one element cited as now nearly 40% of U.S. hips temps). ⁵

Analytical takeaway:
Q1 sales growth appears to be supported by broad-based mix effects (technology and robotics) and new product/platform traction, not merely by price or one-off items—though the provided excerpts also include note of end-of-quarter purchasing. ²⁵

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4) What changed in guidance—and how that relates to Q1 outcomes

The guidance change described in the excerpts:

• Management raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS expectations to $8.40 to $8.55 from $8.30 to $8.45. ³
• Management also raised full-year free cash flow growth expectations to 9% to 11% from 8% to 10%. ³

But revenue guidance was not lifted:

• Management said it was maintaining full-year 2026 organic constant-currency revenue growth guidance of 1% to 3% (with growth roughly consistent in the remainder of 2026). ⁴
• It also reaffirmed assumptions including up to 100 bps of price erosion unchanged, ~50 bps FX tailwind, and Paragon 28 contributing ~100 bps to reported sales growth before being reflected in organic growth. ⁴

Analytical takeaway:
The “guidance change” (as reflected in these excerpts) was consistent with a pattern: Q1 fundamentals gave management confidence to raise profitability and cash-flow growth, while still treating revenue growth as constrained within the previously guided band—likely because commercial transformation and macro/international dynamics reduce certainty on sustaining the top end of revenue growth. ³⁶⁴

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5) Putting it together: interpretation of “sales growth and EPS increase following the guidance change”

Based on the excerpts, the most defensible interpretation is:

1. Q1 delivered what the company had guided operationally for revenue (upper-end organic growth within the annual band):
   Organic constant-currency sales grew 2.9%, described as the upper end of the annual 2026 revenue guidance range. ¹

2. EPS rose sharply year-over-year, but a substantial part of the increase was helped by tariff benefits:
   Adjusted EPS rose 15% to $2.09, and a $0.20 tariff-related benefit relative to expectations was specifically called out. ¹²

3. Management raised full-year adjusted EPS and free cash flow expectations after Q1 strength, while keeping revenue guidance unchanged:
   Adjusted EPS guidance increased to $8.40–$8.55 and free cash flow growth to 9%–11%, but organic revenue growth guidance remained 1%–3%. ³⁴

4. Therefore, the guidance change appears to be driven by improved profitability/cash-flow confidence rather than a confirmed step-up in the revenue growth band:
   Management attributed Q1 adjusted EPS outperformance to higher revenue, tariff benefit, and lower share count (partially offset by higher commercial investments). ² This aligns with raising EPS/free cash flow expectations without changing revenue’s growth range assumptions. ²³⁴

Bottom line:
In Q1 2026, Zimmer Biomet produced 2.9% organic constant-currency sales growth and 15% adjusted EPS growth to $2.09, with EPS benefits partially stemming from tariff-related items. ¹² Following that, management raised full-year adjusted EPS and free cash flow growth expectations, while holding full-year organic revenue growth guidance steady at 1%–3%, indicating improved confidence in earnings and cash generation more than a new, higher revenue outlook. ³⁴

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