Tactile Medical's Spending Outpaces Sales: Rapid Earnings Reaction
A product changeover and heavier spending weighed on Tactile Medical's third quarter, even as its main lymphedema franchise kept growing.
Tactile Systems Technology (TCMD) experienced a drop in net income despite a 7% increase in revenue, reaching $91.9 million for the third quarter. The company's core lymphedema business continues to expand at a double-digit rate, but overall sales gains are not translating into higher profits. This discrepancy is attributed to spending outpacing sales growth, as medical equipment suppliers work through inventory during the transition to new products.
The launch of a new AffloVest vest in the second quarter may also be contributing to the sales decline, as dealers exhaust old stock before ordering the new model. While gross margins improved due to lower manufacturing costs and a better product mix, operating income fell to $9.6 million from $11.0 million. Sales and marketing, as well as reimbursement and administrative expenses, grew at a faster pace than revenue.
Management maintained its 2026 revenue outlook but raised its adjusted EBITDA forecast. However, the revised range suggests fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA could be 2% to 10% below the previous year's figure, indicating that the company's earnings reaction remains muted compared to sales growth.
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