Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW) reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, with management pointing to broad growth across transcatheter aortic valve replacement, transcatheter mitral and tricuspid therapies, and surgical products.
Chief Executive Officer Bernard Zovighian said the company delivered second-quarter sales growth of 12.5%, supported by “multiple therapies across TAVR, mitral, tricuspid, and surgical,” as well as contributions from each region. Total sales were $1.74 billion, and adjusted earnings per share were $0.78, according to Chief Financial Officer Doretta Mistras.
TAVR Sales Beat Expectations
Edwards reported global TAVR sales of $1.3 billion in the second quarter, up 10.5% from the prior year. Zovighian said the performance was stronger than expected and benefited from sustained clinical momentum, data supporting more proactive management of severe aortic stenosis, and continued adoption of the company’s SAPIEN platform.
He said TAVR growth rates were similar in the U.S. and outside the U.S. Average selling prices were stable globally. Growth also benefited from the exit of a competitor in the second quarter of 2025 and long-term durability data for SAPIEN, according to management.
Edwards raised its full-year TAVR sales growth guidance to 8% to 9%, from 7% to 9%. The company now expects TAVR sales of $4.75 billion to $5 billion at current exchange rates.
Zovighian said recent clinical presentations at the New York Valves Conference included a seven-year subanalysis supporting SAPIEN valve performance and durability, as well as a five-year analysis from the EARLY TAVR trial that added to evidence for treating aortic stenosis earlier in the disease pathway. He also said the first patients have been treated with the updated SAPIEN X4-S platform.
TMTT Growth Driven by Multiple Products
Edwards’ transcatheter mitral and tricuspid therapies generated second-quarter sales of $195.9 million, up 44.8% year over year. Zovighian said PASCAL, EVOQUE and SAPIEN M3 all exceeded expectations in the quarter.
The company raised its full-year TMTT sales guidance to $760 million to $780 million, from $740 million to $780 million. Zovighian said the portfolio supports Edwards’ target of reaching $2 billion in TMTT revenue in 2030.
Management said PASCAL adoption continues to increase, citing physician interest in its design and clinical outcomes. Edwards expects next-generation PASCAL technology with Capture Clarity for mitral and tricuspid patients in the U.S. and Europe to be approved in the fourth quarter. The company also expects results from the Class II TR trial to be presented at TCT and plans a U.S. launch of PASCAL for tricuspid patients in the fourth quarter.
EVOQUE continues to scale in the U.S. and Europe, with Edwards expanding into new centers, increasing utilization at existing centers and working to streamline patient screening. Daveen Chopra, corporate vice president with responsibility for TMTT, surgical and IHFM, said EVOQUE is the second-largest TMTT platform by revenue after PASCAL and is “growing very quickly.”
For SAPIEN M3, Zovighian said early experience has validated the need for mitral replacement options for patients not well suited for mitral repair or surgery. Edwards received CE Mark for SAPIEN M3 RESILIA and broadened its indication for SAPIEN M3 and SAPIEN M3 RESILIA to include patients with mitral annular calcification.
Surgical Sales Rise 5%
In surgical products, second-quarter global sales were $284 million, up 5% from the prior year. Zovighian said growth was driven by continued adoption of RESILIA-based therapies, including INSPIRIS, MITRIS and KONECT.
He also highlighted 10-year data from the COMMENCE trial presented at the AATS conference, saying the results showed favorable freedom from structural valve deterioration and a low rate of reoperation related to structural valve deterioration. Edwards also received U.S. approval for ECLIPTIS, its surgical left atrial appendage technology, and plans a measured rollout later this year.
The company continues to expect mid-single-digit sales growth in surgical in 2026.
Margins, Tax Rate and Third-Quarter Outlook
Mistras said adjusted gross profit margin was 77.6% in the second quarter, flat from a year earlier, as foreign exchange headwinds were offset by lower manufacturing expenses. Foreign exchange reduced gross margin by 70 basis points compared with the prior year. The company now expects gross margin to be at the lower end of its full-year 78% to 79% guidance.
Second-quarter SG&A expense was $561 million, or 32% of sales, compared with $502 million a year earlier. R&D expense was $279 million, or 16% of sales, compared with $276 million, or 18% of sales, in the prior-year period. Edwards continues to expect R&D to be approximately 17% of sales in 2026.
Adjusted operating margin was 30% in the second quarter. Mistras said Edwards continues to expect full-year operating margin at the high end of its original 28% to 29% guidance, representing approximately 150 basis points of constant-currency operating margin expansion.
The company now expects its 2026 effective tax rate, excluding special items, to be at the high end of its prior 16% to 19% range, due to Pillar Two tax impacts and changes to California law limiting the use of R&D credits. GAAP EPS for the quarter was $0.42, primarily affected by the California R&D tax credit impact.
For the third quarter, Edwards projected sales of $1.63 billion to $1.71 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.71 to $0.77. Mistras said underlying growth in the third quarter will be “artificially lower” than first-half performance because the company faces a higher comparison from 2025, when seasonality had an unusually low impact.
Management Discusses NCD, PROGRESS Trial and Long-Term Growth
During the question-and-answer session, analysts asked about TAVR growth drivers, the pending U.S. national coverage determination for TAVR, and the PROGRESS trial in moderate aortic stenosis.
Dan Lippis, Edwards’ global leader of TAVR, said the company is encouraged by the draft CMS policy and expects a final policy memo in September. He said potential benefits include a pathway for coverage of asymptomatic indications, recognition of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis as reasonable and necessary for Medicare beneficiaries without coverage with evidence development, and modernization of the policy to support heart teams in providing timely access to care.
On PROGRESS, Zovighian said Edwards separated the baseline characteristics presentation from the full results presentation to give physicians more time to understand the patient population. Lippis said the trial studies moderate aortic stenosis patients with at least one at-risk feature and emphasized that it is “not a heart failure trial.” Results are expected to be presented at TCT later this year.
Zovighian said the company expects minimal impact from PROGRESS in 2026 and reiterated that Edwards’ long-term TAVR outlook remains mid- to high-single-digit growth. He said the company remains confident in its target of approximately 10% average annual total company sales growth over the long term, alongside operating margin expansion.
About Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW)
Edwards Lifesciences is a medical technology company focused on products and therapies for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring. The company designs, develops and manufactures prosthetic heart valves and related delivery systems used in both surgical and minimally invasive (transcatheter) procedures. Its portfolio addresses a range of valvular conditions, with an emphasis on technologies that enable transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as an alternative to open-heart surgery.
In addition to transcatheter heart valves—including the widely recognized SAPIEN family—Edwards offers surgical tissue valves and ancillary devices used by cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists and hospital teams.
