Q1 2026 Clariant AG Earnings Call Transcript
Key Points
- Clariant AG (CLZNY) increased its cash conversion rate by 12 percentage points to 54% due to effective net working capital management and disciplined capital expenditure.
- The company expects an EBITDA margin before exceptional items of around 18% in 2026, supported by value-based pricing and savings from its performance improvement program.
- Clariant AG (CLZNY) achieved savings of CHF9 million in Q1, bringing the total to CHF59 million, and expects to achieve full run rate savings of CHF80 million by the end of 2026, one year ahead of schedule.
- The company reported strong volume growth in Mining Solutions and Personal and Home Care segments, indicating resilience in certain areas of its business.
- Clariant AG (CLZNY) has a well-structured process for managing price increases to offset raw material cost inflation, with positive pricing already observed in April across all business units.
- Sales decreased by 2% in local currency in Q1 2026, with a 7.4% currency headwind affecting reported figures.
- The EBITDA margin before exceptional items decreased by 130 basis points year-on-year, impacted by the Middle East conflict and a dilutive one-off precious metal sale.
- The Catalysts business was significantly affected by the Middle East conflict, with 44 force majeure declarations involving Clariant customers, leading to a 51.5% decrease in EBITDA for the segment.
- Raw material and energy costs are expected to increase at a mid to high single-digit percent rate, while logistics costs are expected to increase at a low double-digit percent rate, adding inflationary pressure.
- The company faces uncertainties and risks due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, which could impact customer demand and increase input costs, posing a risk to its 2026 guidance if the situation does not improve.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Clariant first-quarter figures 2026 conference call and live webcast. I am Valentina, the callâs call operator. I would like to remind you that all participants will be in listen-only mode, and the conference is being recorded.
(Operator Instructions)
The conference must not be recorded for publication or broadcast. At this time, itâs my pleasure to hand over to Andreas Schwarzwälder, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir.
Thank you, Valentina. Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Itâs Andreas Schwarzwälder, and itâs my pleasure to welcome you to our Q1 conference call. Joining me today are Conrad Keijzer, Clariant CEO, and Oliver Rittgen, Clariant CFO. Conrad will start todayâs call by providing a summary of the first quarter developments and the Middle East situation, followed by Oliver, who will guide us through the business unitâs results. Conrad will conclude with the outlook for the full year 2026. There will be a Q&A
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