Olam H1 profit up six times to S$1.9 billion on Olam Agri spin-off; declares dividend of S$0.07 a share

[SINGAPORE] Olam Group on Friday (Aug 14) posted an almost six times rise in net profit to S$1.9 billion for its first half year ended Jun 30, from S$323.8 million a year earlier.

This was driven by a total one-off gain of about S$1.8 billion following divestments of its 44.58 per cent stake in agribusiness unit Olam Agri and the entirety of IT and digital services unit Mindsprint.

Olam Group noted that it also recognised an accounting gain on the valuation of its remaining stake in Olam Agri.

However, net profit from continuing operations in OGH (formerly known as the remaining Olam Group) and food ingredients arm, ofi, fell 66 per cent during the six month period to S$55.6 million from S$163.7 million a year earlier. This decline was largely due to the absence of non-cash foreign exchange gains recorded in the year-ago period.

Olam Group’s revenue was also down 18.3 per cent at S$12.5 billion from S$15.3 billion in the corresponding year-ago period. This, Olam Group said, was mainly due to the “marked drop in input prices in ofi, namely cocoa and coffee, coupled with lower volumes in OGH”.

In April, the group said it secured all required regulatory approvals from a total of 21 jurisdictions for its proposed US$1.8 billion sale of 44.58 per cent of Olam Agri to a Saudi fund. The deal was first announced in February 2025 as part of the group’s broader multi-year restructuring plan.

Gautam Wadhwa, CEO of OGH, said: “Our re-organisation plan to unlock value for shareholders from divestments is on track, with three businesses sold or wound down, and the sale of our remaining stake in Arise P&L making progress.”

“We remain focused on delivering a resilient operational performance as we continue to work on responsibly divesting and monetising these assets over time,” he added.

Earnings per share (EPS) stood at S$0.5023, up from S$0.0816 in H1 FY2025. The EPS comprises S$0.0104 from the group’s continuing operations and S$0.4919 from its discontinued operations.

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The group declared a total dividend of S$0.07 per share, comprising an interim dividend of S$0.01 a share and a special dividend of S$0.06 a share, to be paid on Aug 31. The total dividend previously was S$0.02 a share.

The group’s net gearing stood at 0.93 times, down from 2.09 times a year earlier, which the company attributed to “reduced net debt with deleveraging at OGH from divestment proceeds and lower working capital related debt in ofi”.

Olam Group noted that while it expects the constituent businesses of OGH to deliver “resilient operational performance in 2026”, it is monitoring the global environment for any adverse changes. For example, an escalation of the Middle East war “could negatively impact the performance of these businesses”.

Shares of Olam Group closed 3 per cent or S$0.04 lower at S$1.30 on Thursday.