Yakult Honsha revises full-year forecast despite H1 profit dip

Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. announced consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2025, showing net sales of 241,174 million yen, a 5.5% decrease year-on-year. Operating profit fell 25.0% to 25,326 million yen, and ordinary profit declined 19.9% to 36,235 million yen. Profit attributable to owners of parent was 24,517 million yen, down 10.8%. The company cited a challenging market, including competition and rising prices in Japan, and reduced purchasing motivation in the Americas due to U.S. tariff policies, impacting dairy product sales.

Despite the interim profit decline, Yakult Honsha revised its full-year consolidated forecast for fiscal year 2025. While net sales and operating profit are projected to be lower than previous estimates (net sales: 489,500 million yen, operating profit: 48,500 million yen), profit attributable to owners of parent is now expected to increase by 1,000 million yen to 46,500 million yen. This increase is primarily attributed to the sale of policy-holding stocks and higher dividends from overseas subsidiaries due to a weaker yen.

The company declared an interim dividend of 33.00 yen per share for fiscal year 2025, with an anticipated full-year dividend of 66.00 yen per share, an increase from 64.00 yen in the previous fiscal year. Total assets at the end of Q2 2025 were 817,095 million yen, a decrease of 47,222 million yen from the prior fiscal year-end, while net assets decreased to 606,743 million yen, primarily due to share repurchases and foreign currency translation adjustments.