A specialty chemicals maker producing Tyvek protective garments, water-filtration membranes, medical device components, and building insulation. Founded in 1802 by French-American chemist Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, who set up a gunpowder mill along Delaware's Brandywine River. Fun fact: Tyvek, its famously tough paper-like fabric, was discovered by accident in 1955 when a researcher spotted a mysterious "white fluff" spilling from a lab pipe.
DuPont Q2 2026 operating income rose 241% to $266M as the post-separation company took shape and the Aramids divestiture closed.
The post-separation DuPont is now fully visible, and the numbers are cleaner. rose 4% to $1.8B on across both segments, while rose to $266M from $78M a year ago as prior-year separation costs and a fell away. With the Aramids sale closed and a $2B underway, the company is deploying capital from a position of lower .
Key takeaways
rose 241% to $266M, as the prior-year period included $154M in costs and a $768M non-cash charge that did not repeat.
grew 4% to $1.8B, driven entirely by organic volume and price gains, with up 5% on personal protection, biopharma, and industrial water demand, and up 3% on aerospace and construction strength.
widened 0.5 points to 35.1%, as cost of sales held steady at 65% of while R&D expense fell to $42M from $53M.
Section summaries
Management's Discussion and Analysis
Q2 2026 net sales rose 4% to $1.8B on organic growth; operating cash flow surged to $632M aided by Aramids divestiture proceeds.
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Consolidated grew 4% to $1.8B in Q2 and $3.5B YTD, driven entirely by increases in both and .
dropped to $41M from $84M, reflecting the lower debt load after the and the Aramids divestiture, and the fell to 28.2% from 69.2% on the absence of prior-year transaction items.
Cash from continuing operations reached $632M for the first half, up from $151M, aided by higher earnings and improvements; investing activities provided $989M, largely from the Aramids sale.
The company declared a $0.60 per share quarterly , completed $275M in accelerated share repurchases under its $2B program, and expects to an additional $250M in Q3 2026.
What changed
The Aramids Divestiture, flagged in Q1 2026 as expected to close in early 2026, was completed, with proceeds contributing to the $989M in investing cash flow and enabling the start of share repurchases.
The $2B program, which remained unused in Q1 2026, was activated with $275M in accelerated share repurchases during Q2, with an additional $250M expected in Q3.
volume growth decelerated slightly to 5% in Q2 from 6% in Q1, as Middle East logistics disruptions flagged last quarter were not mentioned as a continuing .
The 2026 DuPont Restructuring Program, which recorded $46M in charges in Q1, did not record additional material charges in Q2, suggesting the initial actions were front-loaded.
What to watch
Q3 2026 against the 5% Q2 rate to see if biopharma and industrial water demand sustain the trajectory.
Pace of share repurchases in Q3 2026 against the expected $250M and the remaining $2B authorization.
Q3 2026 against the 35.1% Q2 level as input costs and mix evolve post-Aramids.
Any additional charges under the 2026 DuPont Restructuring Program, which targets $100M–$150M in total pre-tax savings through 2028.
Q2 sales rose 5% on broad-based volume growth in personal protection, biopharma, and industrial water, while grew 3% on aerospace and construction strength.
Cost of sales as a percentage of held steady at 65%, while R&D expenses fell to $42M from $53M and SG&A rose slightly to $269M.
dropped sharply to $41M from $84M due to the post- capital structure, and the fell to 28.2% from 69.2% on prior-year transaction items.
Cash from continuing operations reached $632M for the first half, up from $151M, driven by higher earnings and improvements, while investing activities provided $989M largely from the Aramids sale.
The company declared a $0.60 per share quarterly , completed $275M in accelerated share repurchases, and expects to an additional $250M in Q3 2026.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
See Note 17 to the interim Consolidated Financial Statements. See also Part II, Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, of the Company's 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K for information on the Company's utilization of financial instruments and an anal…
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See Note 17 to the interim Consolidated Financial Statements. See also Part II, Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, of the Company's 2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K for information on the Company's utilization of financial instruments and an analysis of the sensitivity of these instruments.