It's been about a month since the United States finalised its reciprocal tariffs for global trading partners following some deal-making.
During earnings season, we got a glimpse of which ASX shares are ahead of the rest in mitigating the cost impact of the tariffs.
Let's take a look.
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This ASX healthcare share is raising prices
Personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer Ansell Ltd (ASX: ANN) says it will fully offset the cost of tariffs by raising prices.
The healthcare company raised prices in June, and will raise them again soon after the US finalised its tariffs last month.
Last month, Ansell reported a 23.7% lift in reported sales to $2 billion.
It also revealed a 44.3% increase in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to $282 million for FY25.
Ansell Managing Director and CEO Neil Salmon said:
The announcement of reciprocal tariffs in the US in the second half required decisive action…
While the economic effects of higher tariffs remain unclear, we believe we are well positioned to adapt to this new environment due to the essential nature of our products, the significant value they provide to our customers, and our diversified and flexible manufacturing and sourcing network.
Ansell was among the 8 ASX shares that got the best price upswings after their results.
Macquarie has a neutral rating on this ASX healthcare share with a 12-month price target of $33.50.
This retail share is moving manufacturing out of China
Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG) is relocating a large portion of its manufacturing out of China and into nations with lower tariffs.
The whitegoods retailer designs and manufactures kitchen appliances, such as coffee machines and blenders, worldwide.
Breville sells 45% of its inventory in the US and used to manufacture 90% of products, by value, in China.
Now, it's moving US product manufacturing out of China (34% tariff) and into Vietnam (20%), Indonesia and Cambodia (19%), and Mexico (exempt).
Breville reported a 10.9% lift in revenue to $1,696.6 million and a 14.6% rise in net profit after tax (NPAT) to $135.9 million for FY25.
Breville said it accelerated its existing manufacturing diversification program, begun in FY22, to help reduce tariff costs.
The company said:
This relocation will continue through FY26 with an initial target to move 90% of Americas production value, or ~40-45% of total BRG Group production value, to these new locations.
Breville estimates that by the end of December, non-China production will represent approximately 80% of its US gross profit.
The retailer said it still faced 'a material step up in input costs for US sales' in FY26 and beyond.
The company said it would consider distribution channel adjustments and raising prices to mitigate the impact of the tariffs.
UBS has a buy rating on this ASX retail share with a price target of $39.80.
This ASX materials share may benefit from US tariffs
BlueScope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL) may end up being a beneficiary of the 50% tariff on steel and aluminium imports.
US President Donald Trump says one of the greatest benefits of tariffs is that they encourage companies to buy local.
BlueScope has extensive operations in North America.
This includes the North Star steel mill in Ohio, which produces 3 million tonnes of steel per year.
Last month, BlueScope reported an underlying EBIT of $738 million in FY25, down 45% on FY24.
BlueScope said its North America division benefited from stronger spreads and volume at North Star in 2H FY25.
North Star delivered an EBIT of $267 million in FY25, with $202 million of that realised in 2H FY25.
BlueScope CEO, Mark Vassella, told the ABC's The Business that the tariffs had led to a "massive amount of investment" in the US.
He said automobile and whitegoods manufacturers were setting up local production in the US to serve the US market.
Vassella commented:
We will be the beneficiaries of that. That's one of the things that is very good about our strategy of operating in-country for country.
He said the company had seen the impact of tariffs on imported inputs for steelmaking, as well as the finished products they sell.
As of yet, he has seen "no sign" of a deterioration in demand for steel.
However, he said the long-term implications of the tariffs are yet to be seen.
In its outlook, BlueScope said it expects North Star to deliver "a result around 50 per cent higher than 2H FY2025" in 1H FY26.
The company expects "a result approximately one-third higher than 2H FY2025" for its entire North America business.
BlueScope is expanding North Star with hopes of driving a $200 million EBIT improvement for its North America division by 2030.
The company said:
We are entering FY2026 with confidence.
While macroeconomic conditions remain mixed, our multi-domestic strategy of prioritising in-market production sets us up strongly to manage the current environment.
We are seeing signs of recovery in Australian construction and improving spreads in the US.
Macquarie has an outperform rating on this ASX materials share with a 12-month price target of $25.45, down from $29.05.
