Kao has revised upward its full-year earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending December 2026 and announced the creation of a new shareholder benefit program. For the interim period of the fiscal year ending December 2026, consolidated revenue rose 7.8 percent year on year to 871.9 billion yen, and operating profit increased 38.5 percent to 95.8 billion yen. A sharp recovery in the cosmetics business, where operating profit jumped from 300 million yen a year earlier to 5.8 billion yen, lifted overall results. Operating profit includes an 11.5 billion yen gain on land sales in the first quarter, but even excluding this, profit reached 84.3 billion yen, the highest level since 2019. The shareholder benefit program targets shareholders holding 100 shares or more as of December 31 each year, with those holding 1,000 shares or more receiving a cosmetics or home care product set worth 10,000 yen. Following these announcements, the stock price rose 409 yen from the previous day to 3,597 yen, hitting a new year-to-date high.
Kao CorporationRaised full-year guidance and strong cosmetics profit growth
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