Boston Scientific announced on Tuesday that it no longer expects to meet its previously forecasted sales and adjusted earnings targets for the third quarter and full year of 2026 following a cybersecurity incident that disrupted its global operations. The medical device company reported unauthorized activity on some of its information technology systems, first detected on August 25, which resulted in network outages affecting manufacturing, order processing, and shipping.
The company has since made significant progress in restoring impacted systems. It reported that its major distribution centers have resumed processing and shipping customer orders at or above normal levels, sterilization facilities are operational, and manufacturing has restarted at most plants worldwide. Despite these improvements, Boston Scientific warned that the disruption will prevent it from achieving its earlier guidance.
In late July, Boston Scientific had projected sales growth of 3% to 5% for the third quarter and 5.5% to 6.5% for the full year. Adjusted earnings per share were forecasted at 80 to 82 cents for the quarter and $3.28 to $3.32 for the year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were anticipating adjusted profits of around 81 cents per share for the third quarter and $3.30 per share for the year, figures now unlikely to be met.
The cybersecurity breach affected the company’s ability to manufacture devices and process customer orders for several weeks. While Boston Scientific expects to recover some of the lost revenue as operations continue to ramp up and backlogs are reduced, the full impact on its financial results remains significant. Shares of Boston Scientific fell nearly 6% in trading on Tuesday, closing at $44.98.
Rick Wise, an analyst at Stifel, characterized 2026 as a “lost year” for the company, noting that investor focus is likely to shift toward Boston Scientific’s prospects for 2027 and beyond. The company has not disclosed additional details about the nature of the cyberattack or any potential ongoing vulnerabilities.