Chugai Pharmaceutical Posts Strong Q1 Growth, Reaffirms FY26 Guidance

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has delivered a robust first-quarter performance, characterized by double-digit growth across its primary financial metrics. The results underscore the company's operational strength as it navigates the current fiscal year, providing a stable foundation for its long-term targets. Financial highlights for the quarter show that net income attributable to shareholders rose 18.7% to 115.42 billion yen, up from 97.23 billion yen in the prior year. Revenues also saw a healthy climb of 11.5%, reaching 321.75 billion yen. The company's core metrics showed even stronger momentum, with core net income jumping 24.4% to 118.55 billion yen and core operating profit increasing by the same margin to 163.27 billion yen. Looking ahead to the full fiscal 2026 period, Chugai has reaffirmed its projections. The company expects core net income to reach 485 billion yen, representing a 7.5% year-over-year increase. Total revenues are projected to hit 1.35 trillion yen, a growth of 6.9% compared to the previous year. Despite the operational growth, the company indicated a shift in shareholder returns. Projected dividends for fiscal 2026 are set at 132 yen per share, a notable decrease from the 272 yen per share distributed in 2025. This dividend will be split equally between interim and year-end payments. Market reaction remained muted following the announcement. In Tokyo, Chugai Pharma shares closed Friday's session at 8,845.00 yen, marking a slight decline of 0.9%.