Al Root

EMBARGO 6 AM EASTERN TIME TUESDAY FEB 10

Things are getting better, slowly, in the industrial economy.

Take DuPont de Nemours. On Tuesday, the construction, water, and industrial materials conglomerate reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 46 cents from sales of $1.7 billion. Wall Street was looking for 43 cents from sales of $1.7 billion.

A year ago, DuPont reported EPS of 47 cents from sales of $3.1 billion. Comparability, however, was affected by the November spinoff of DuPont's electronics materials business Qnity Electronics.

Sales in the remaining businesses were flat year over year, inline with expectations and affected slightly by shifting sales around the spinoff.

For 2026, DuPont expects EPS of about $2.28 from sales of $7.1 billion. Both numbers are ahead of the Street. Analysts currently project EPS of $2.14 and sales of just under $7.1 billion.

Sales growth in 2026 is expected to be about 3%, up from closer to 2% in 2025. Things are getting better, slowly.

That's good news for investors. Expectations, however, might be running high. Coming into Tuesday trading, DuPont stock was up 49% over the past 12 months, about 33 percentage points ahead of the S&P 500.

Shares had gained an impressive 17% so far this year, rallying along with other industrial stocks. Strong earnings from several industrial companies next to a better-than-expected ISM Purchasing Managers Index report for January have boosted investor sentiment.

DuPont represents another solid data point for industrial investors looking for better growth in the coming year.

First-quarter guidance also looks good. For the first three months of 2026, DuPont expects EPS of 48 cents and sales of almost $1.7 billion. Both numbers align with Street estimates. Guidance implies about 2% organic growth.

Solid first-quarter guidance, along with better-than-expected full-year guidance, can be important for a stock. Investors don't like it when guidance implies a pick-up in trends later in the year.

Investors hate to wait.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@barrons.com

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February 10, 2026 06:02 ET (11:02 GMT)

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