FRANKFURT, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Germany’s Merck KGaA lifted its earnings forecast range for 2026 on Thursday and posted better-than-expected quarterly results on further gains in demand for its drug manufacturing supplies and semiconductor materials.
The diversified family-controlled group said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for special items, would likely rise to between €5.9 billion and €6.3 billion ($6.8-7.3 billion).
Previously, it expected EBITDA in the €5.7 billion to €6.1 billion range. Last year, the company reported €6.1 billion.
In June, Merck boosted its Life Science unit, which makes drug research and manufacturing tools, by striking an $11.3 billion deal to buy Bio-Techne, its biggest transaction in more than a decade.
“The proposed acquisition of Bio-Techne would add additional differentiated capabilities across research, bioprocessing and advanced therapeutics,” Merck said on Thursday.
It also reported quarterly adjusted EBITDA of €1.60 billion, up 9.4% from a year earlier and well above an analyst consensus of €1.53 billion posted on the group’s website.
($1 = 0.8660 euros)
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Patricia Weiss; Editing by Linda Pasquini and Janane Venkatraman)
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