Olam H1 earnings jump to S$1.9 billion on divestment gains from Olam Agri, IT services unit; declares total dividend of S$0.07 a share

Olam Group reported a staggering 488.8% increase in net profit to S$1.9 billion in its first half year, ending June 30. This significant rise was primarily driven by a one-off gain of S$1.8 billion from the divestment of its 44.58% stake in Olam Agri and the entire IT and digital services unit, Mindsprint. Additionally, the company recognized an accounting gain on the valuation of its remaining stake in Olam Agri.

CEO Gautam Wadhwa expressed confidence in their progress towards unlocking value through divestments, noting that three businesses have been sold or wound down, with the sale of its remaining stake in Arise P&L making notable headway.

However, net profit from continuing operations at the remaining Olam Group and food ingredients arm, ofi, fell by 66% to S$55.6 million, down from S$163.7 million in the same period last year. The decline was attributed to a marked drop in input prices for cocoa and coffee, alongside lower volumes in the remaining Olam Group. The company's revenue decreased by 18.3% to S$12.5 billion, compared to S$15.3 billion in H1 FY2025.

Earnings per share (EPS) reached S$0.5023, an increase from S$0.0816 a year earlier, comprising S$0.0104 from continuing operations and S$0.4919 from discontinued operations. The group declared a total dividend of S$0.07 per share, consisting of an interim dividend of S$0.01 and a special dividend of S$0.06. The dividend payment is set to be made on August 31.

Olam Group's net gearing dropped to 0.93 times from 2.09 times a year earlier, primarily due to reduced net debt from divestment proceeds and lower working capital-related debt in ofi. While the company anticipates resilient operational performance from the remaining Olam Group businesses in 2026, it remains vigilant regarding potential negative impacts from global events, such as an escalation of the Middle East war.