Switzerland's Lonza H1 sales rise, lifts FY core EBITDA margin forecast
Switzerland's Lonza H1 sales rise, lifts FY core EBITDA margin forecast
Overview
Switzerland CDMO's H1 2026 sales rose 16% CER to CHF 3.4 bln
CORE EBITDA margin expanded to 34.8%, up 4.4ppts from H1 2025
Company to launch CHF 500 mln share buyback after CHI business sale
Outlook
Lonza upgrades 2026 CORE EBITDA margin outlook to 33-34% from above 32%
Company confirms 2026 CER sales growth guidance of 11-12%
Lonza expects FX headwind of -2 to -3% on 2026 sales, minimal margin impact
Result Drivers
BROAD-BASED DEMAND - All business platforms delivered double-digit CER sales growth, with robust demand across technologies and geographies
MARGIN EXPANSION - CORE EBITDA margin increased due to strong operational execution, maturing growth projects, operating leverage and favorable product
FAVORABLE PHASING AND LOW PRIOR-YEAR BASE - H1-weighted sales growth benefited from favorable phasing and a lower H1 2025 base
Company press release: ID:nEQ2WkppVa
Key Details
Metric | Beat/Miss | Actual | Consensus Estimate |
H1 Sales |
| CHF 3.40 bln |
|
H1 CORE EBITDA |
| CHF 1.20 bln |
|
H1 Sales Growth |
| 16.00% |
|
Analyst Coverage
The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 24 "strong buy" or "buy", 2 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"
The average consensus recommendation for the biotechnology & medical research peer group is "buy"
Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Lonza Group AG is CHF658.00, about 16.7% above its July 21 closing price of CHF564.00
The stock recently traded at 30 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 27 three months ago
Reuters Recommended Reads
July 21 - Switzerland's Novartis beats Q2 sales estimates on strong sales across priority brands
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July 21 - Danaher Q2 revenue, adjusted EPS beats on life sciences segment strength; raises outlook
For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.
(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.)
Recent news on Lonza AG
See all newsLonza buys 5 sites from Germany's Merck to more than double US footprint (updated)
Brief: Merck KGaA Confirms Divestment Of CDMO Business To Lonza
Lonza agrees to buy five US sites from Merck KGaA
Corrected: TABLE-Swiss trade surplus at CHF 4.35 bln in August (Sept. 17)
Table: Swiss trade surplus at CHF 1.31 bln in September