Bayer’s profit guidance falls short of expectations

[FRANKFURT] Germany’s Bayer on Wednesday (Mar 4) issued a 2026 earnings target range that was below market expectations. This comes as the drugmaker’s chief executive officer struggled to revive a stock battered by costly litigation and massive financial debt.

Based on the foreign exchange rates at the end of 2025, the company projected its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) before special items at between 9.1 billion euros (S$13.5 billion) and 9.6 billion euros.

The upper end was slightly below the market expectation of 9.67 billion euros, based on an analyst consensus posted on the group’s website, against a figure of 9.67 billion euros that it reported for 2025.

CEO Bill Anderson has been overhauling Bayer’s management structure, but he has suspended a strategic review that could have led to a break-up of the diversified group.

In February, Bayer struck an agreement worth as much as US$7.3 billion to resolve tens of thousands of product liability claims. This comes after years of grappling with litigation over weed killer Roundup, from its 2018 takeover of Monsanto. REUTERS