Switzerland's Clariant Q1 sales fall 2% in local currency

Clariant AG

08/05/2026 06:10

Overview

Switzerland specialty chemical firm's Q1 sales fell 2% in local currency

Adjusted EBITDA margin before exceptionals dropped to 17.5% from 18.8% a year earlier

Middle East conflict and portfolio pruning weighed on Catalyst and Care Chemicals performance

Outlook

Clariant expects 2026 sales in local currency to be around 2025 levels

Company sees 2026 EBITDA margin before exceptional items at around 18%

Clariant expects 2026 free cash flow conversion of over 40%

Result Drivers

MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT - Co said conflict led to lower Catalyst volumes, pushed out orders, and affected Oil Services in Care Chemicals

PORTFOLIO PRUNING - Portfolio pruning reduced Care Chemicals volumes and sales, contributing to overall group decline

LOWER PRICING - Formula-based price adjustments, reflecting lower raw material costs until the start of the Middle East conflict, weighed on group and segment pricing

Company press release: ID:nGNE7llltX

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Sales
Meet
CHF 918 mln
CHF 918 mln (1 Analyst)
Q1 Adjusted EBITDA
Miss
CHF 160.20 mln
CHF 167 mln (1 Analyst)
Q1 EBITDA
CHF 157.80 mln
Q1 EBITDA Margin
17.20%


Analyst Coverage

The current average analyst rating on the shares is "hold" and the breakdown of recommendations is 4 "strong buy" or "buy", 10 "hold" and 3 "sell" or "strong sell"

The average consensus recommendation for the specialty chemicals peer group is "buy."

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Clariant AG is CHF8.00, about 1.2% below its May 7 closing price of CHF8.10

The stock recently traded at 11 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 9 three months ago

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(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)