Croda International Plc·Basic Materials

Croda International PLC (LSE:CRDA), the FTSE 100 speciality chemicals company, led the London market on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to overweight, sending shares up 4.3% to 2,860.5p. The US investment bank lifted its rating from equal-weight, arguing that Croda is better positioned than most of its peers to protect profits during the current inflationary cycle by passing rising input costs on to customers more quickly.

Croda International PLC (LSE:CRDA) the FTSE 100 specialty chemicals maker, bucked a brutal session for UK blue chips on Monday, rising 1.8% to 2,600p after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock from 'sell' to 'buy' in a striking reversal of its previous stance. The broader index shed more than 200 points as heightened fears of a sharp escalation of hostilities involving Iran rattled markets, leaving Croda among a handful of risers in an otherwise deeply negative session.

Croda International Plc (COIHY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Croda International PLC shares climbed almost 5% to 3,150p on Tuesday morning after the FTSE 100 chemicals group beat expectations in the second half after delivering stronger than forecast fourth-quarter sales. Adjusted second-half earnings on an EBIT basis came in at £148 million, 2% ahead of consensus, while fourth-quarter constant currency sales growth of 5.0% was well above expectations of around 3-4%.

Croda International PLC has reported higher adjusted profits and set out how it plans to improve profit margins over the next three years, as the chemicals and ingredients group said early progress on its turnaround was encouraging despite slower sales growth in the second half of the year. Sales for 2025 rose 4.4% to £1.7 billion, or 6.6% on a constant currency basis, while adjusted operating profit increased 7.9% to £295.3 million, at the top end of its previous guidance as the margin edged up to 17.4% from 17.2%.

Shares in Croda International PLC (LSE:CRDA) surged 7.6% to 3,148p on Tuesday after JPMorgan reaffirmed its 'overweight' rating and raised its price target to 4,000p, arguing that the worst of the earnings downgrade cycle is now over and the company is poised for a multi-year recovery. Analyst Chetan Udeshi sees adjusted EPS growing at a 13% compound annual rate between 2025 and 2028, supported by organic and inorganic investment returns, ongoing cost actions, and improving capital returns.
Croda International Plc creates, makes, and sells specialty chemicals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Asia, and Latin America. It operates through four segments: Consumer Care, Life Sciences, Performance Technologies, and Industrial Chemicals. The company offers adhesives; crop protection additives and adjuvants, seed enhancement and animal health chemicals, chemical bio-stimulants, and specialty additives for agricultural films; and lubricant additives, coatings and polymers, vehicle cleaning chemicals, and products for automotive textiles and fibers, as well as specialty additives for plastics, and battery and catalyst industries. It also provides specialty ingredients for self-tanning, color cosmetics, bath and shower, deodorants, anti-perspirants, depilatories, men's grooming, and oral hygiene, as well as skin, hair, sun, body, and baby care applications; construction chemicals and bitumen additives; dietary supplements; and materials and polymer additives for electronics and devices. In addition, the company offers chemistries, emulsifiers, fuel and power generation additives, and polymer additives; food additives; specialty polymer additives for furniture and wood applications; household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products; lubricants; oleochemicals; and packaging, print, and paper chemicals. Further, it provides paints and coatings; active pharmaceutical ingredients; thermal management products; plastic and rubber products; skin health products; hygiene and industrial nonwovens, botanical extracts, tissues, and textile auxiliaries; and water treatment chemicals. Additionally, the company offers bio-based phase change materials for buildings and ventilation, clothing and healthcare, electronics and devices, food and refrigeration, energy storage and recovery, temperature controlled packaging, and vehicles and automotive applications. The company was incorporated in 1925 and is headquartered in Goole, the United Kingdom.
Basic Materials
Chemicals - Specialty
6,027
2010-04-05
0.94