Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT) Posts Earnings Results

Key Points

• Q2 growth accelerated: Core Reckitt like-for-like revenue rose 4.2%, with 2% volume growth, while emerging markets delivered 9.4% growth.
• Management reiterated 2026 guidance for 4%–5% Core revenue growth and a 24.9%–25.6% adjusted operating margin, despite profitability pressure from higher input costs and the loss of Essential Home earnings.
• Reckitt announced an additional £500 million share buyback and raised its interim dividend by 5%; analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of GBX 6,247.14.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported GBX 101.40 earnings per share for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. Reckitt Benckiser Group had a return on equity of 45.27% and a net margin of 22.40%.

Here are the key takeaways from Reckitt Benckiser Group's conference call:

• Q2 growth accelerated significantly, with Core Reckitt like-for-like revenue up 4.2% and volume growth reaching 2%, supported by balanced volume and price/mix contributions across all areas and categories.
• Emerging markets remained a key growth engine, delivering 9.4% like-for-like growth in Q2 and 12 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth in China, led by Dettol, VMS and continued innovation.
• Management reiterated 2026 guidance for 4%–5% Core Reckitt revenue growth and a 24.9%–25.6% adjusted operating margin, expecting stronger second-half performance from pricing, innovation, geographic mix and a more normal seasonal OTC cycle.
• Profitability remained under pressure: Core Reckitt and Mead Johnson gross margin fell 50 basis points to 60.5%, while adjusted EPS declined 9.7% to £1.521, primarily due to higher input costs and the loss of Essential Home earnings.
• Reckitt announced a further £500 million share buyback and increased its interim dividend by 5%, taking shareholder returns since the 2024 strategic plan announcement to more than £6 billion.

Reckitt Benckiser Group Price Performance

Shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group stock traded up GBX 192 during trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 5,368. The stock had a trading volume of 69,557,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,192,373. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.83, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of £34.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.03, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 4,809.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 5,289.51. Reckitt Benckiser Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 3,866 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 6,522.92.

Insider Transactions at Reckitt Benckiser Group

In related news, insider Marybeth Hays acquired 340 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 4,585 per share, for a total transaction of £15,589. Also, insider Deepak Nath purchased 257 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 4,650 per share, for a total transaction of £11,950.50. Insiders have acquired 1,029 shares of company stock valued at $21,416,350 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RKT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 6,200 price target on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 7,000 to GBX 6,200 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,900 target price on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 7,000 to GBX 6,200 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 5,460 to GBX 5,430 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 6,247.14.

About Reckitt Benckiser Group

At Reckitt, we protect, heal and nurture. We are the company behind some of the world's best known and most trusted Health and Hygiene consumer brands. Delivering for a cleaner, healthier world requires strong brands with a global footprint. From Dettol, Lysol, Durex, Finish, Harpic and Vanish, Mucinex, Nurofen, Gaviscon, Veet and Strepsils, consumers love and rely on our brands to care for their families, as they have done for over 200 years. We use our scientific expertise and deep human understanding to develop solutions to help people improve their lives – that is why over 30 million Reckitt products are sold each day worldwide. At Reckitt, we're all making a real difference to people all over the world, every day.

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