Elementis (LON: ELM) has raised its full-year adjusted operating profit guidance to $133 million to $135 million, slightly above its previous guidance. The specialty chemicals group said the improved outlook reflects continued trading progress despite mixed market conditions.
The update came at 7:00am, before the London open. As of a delayed quote at 9:10am, the shares stood at 187p, up 1.08% from yesterday’s close of 185p.
Revenue for the nine months to the 30th of September rose 7% to $479 million on an organic constant currency basis, which strips out acquisitions and average exchange-rate swings. Personal Care was particularly strong, with growth accelerating in every region against a weaker prior-year comparison. Asia kept its momentum and the Americas improved.
The guidance matches the market rather than beating it. Company-compiled consensus for full-year adjusted operating profit now averages $134.7 million, in a range of $132.0 million to $140.1 million, up from $132.5 million at the half-year. The “slightly above” language refers to Elementis’s own earlier guidance, not to analysts’ forecasts.
The third quarter was helped by customers’ orders arriving earlier than anticipated, and Personal Care also gained from favourable order phasing in September. Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to be lower than the third, in line with typical seasonality.
In Coatings, the Energy business stayed strong, helped by operational improvements at its St. Louis plant in the US, and the Americas recovered after a weak first half. Asia offset a weaker EMEA in the quarter, but Coatings growth is expected to moderate in the fourth quarter against a strong prior-year comparison in Asia.
Chief executive Luc van Ravenstein tied the update to the Elevate Elementis strategy the group launched in 2025:
Our ‘Elevate Elementis’ strategy is progressing well, with revenue up 7% for the nine months to September 2026 despite mixed end market conditions. This is being driven by Elementis’ high-quality capabilities in specialty chemicals and a simpler, leaner model that puts customers first. We look forward to sharing more about our innovation that underpins this growth and differentiation at our Innovation Day next week.
Luc van Ravenstein, Elementis