Shares of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: COO) surged 6.29% in premarket trading to $76.50 on October 20, 2025, following the announcement that activist investor Jana Partners has acquired a stake in the company. Jana Partners is advocating for strategic changes, including a potential merger of CooperVision with Bausch + Lomb, to enhance competitiveness in the contact lens market. The move comes as Cooper's stock has fallen over 20% year-to-date, with Jana highlighting misalignment between Cooper's main units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. Bausch + Lomb CEO Brent Saunders has indicated openness to the merger proposal.