Sydney, Feb 15, 2026, 16:59 AEDT — Market closed.
- CSL ended Friday at A$150.01, down 1.4% on the day and about 17% lower over a week
- The sell-off followed a weak half-year update and a surprise CEO change earlier in the week
- Next on the radar: more broker reaction when trading resumes Monday, and the March ex-dividend date
CSL Ltd shares ended Friday down 1.4% at A$150.01, leaving the stock near the bottom of its 52-week range after four straight declines. The Australian market is shut until Monday. (Investing)
That slump has mattered beyond one name. Australia’s healthcare sub-index fell 12.6% for the week, its worst run since mid-March 2020, even as the broader market logged its best week in ten months on strong earnings, a Reuters market wrap showed. “Led by the miners and banks,” AMP chief economist Shane Oliver wrote, while VanEck Australia’s Jamie Hannah flagged profit-taking after big intraday moves. (Indo Premier)
CSL is a bellwether for local healthcare and a go-to global-growth stock for many Australian portfolios. When it gets hit, sector performance gets dragged with it and the tone shifts fast, especially in reporting season.
Earlier in the week, CSL said first-half revenue fell 4% to $8.3 billion and NPATA — its preferred underlying profit measure — slipped 7% to $1.9 billion. It lifted its on-market buyback to $750 million and maintained full-year guidance for 2% to 3% revenue growth and 4% to 7% NPATA growth on a constant-currency basis, which strips out exchange-rate swings. (CSL Limited)
Some analysts have argued the sell-off has got ahead of the fundamentals. Morningstar analyst Shane Ponraj said the market looked “overly pessimistic” about plasma gross margins, and he expects margin expansion and cost savings to do more of the heavy lifting over time. (Morningstar)
But the near-term test is messy and the risks are clear. CSL reported net profit after tax of $384 million for the six months to Dec. 31, down from $2 billion a year earlier, and flagged about $1.1 billion in after-tax impairments, including restructuring costs, largely tied to Vifor and Seqirus. Interim chief Gordon Naylor told an analyst call, “I’m not prepared to accept that we can’t do better,” while Citi warned the company’s outlook leaves little margin for error as Behring carries much of the burden in the second half. (Reuters)
When trading resumes on Monday, investors will watch whether the stock finds a floor or whether more model cuts land after brokers reset for a weaker first half. The pace of buybacks, any colour on the CEO search, and signs that Behring can steady sales will likely do more for sentiment than broad market moves.
The next hard dates are on the dividend calendar: CSL shares are due to trade ex-dividend on March 10, with a record date on March 11 and payment on April 9. The company’s next scheduled full-year results are set for Aug. 18. (CSL Limited)
