Bayer stock: 3 good news and 1 bad news
Bayer shares have suffered greatly in recent years. But now a turnaround is slowly emerging. Last year (2021), the group increased its sales by 6.5% to EUR 44.1 billion, and after a strong year of losses (2020), it returned to a profit of EUR 1.0 billion in 2021.
One factor of uncertainty remains the handling of the future U.S. glyphosate lawsuits. Here, Bayer continues to wait for the Supreme Court's decision on whether to accept the case. Most recently, there were three pieces of good news and one piece of bad news.
1. Bayer sells business unit
Meanwhile, Bayer continues to pursue its cost-cutting course. Most recently, the Group announced the sale of Environmental Science for professional customers to Cinven for $2.6 billion.
Environmental Science Professional specializes in pest and weed control in non-agricultural settings. This includes disease vector and pest control, and vegetation control in forestry, turf and ornamentals. The business, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA, employed approximately 800 people in more than 100 countries in 2021.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Bayer could thus also rid itself of the risks of the weed and pest control business, which is why the stock reacted very positively to the news.
"This divestment allows us to focus on our core agricultural business and the successful implementation of our growth strategy in the Crop Science division. At the same time, we have achieved a very attractive purchase price for the business to be divested," said Crop Science Head and Bayer Management Board member Rodrigo Santos.
Cinven is a private equity firm whose funds invest in key sectors. It aims to further strengthen the acquired business through further investments in order to increase its value.
2. Bayer applies for registration extension
Bayer has now filed for approval of its prostate cancer drug Nubeqa in the European Union, the United States and Japan for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In this case it is used in combination with hormone treatment and chemotherapy.
So far, the drug has been approved for the treatment of non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Following the publication of positive study data, Bayer recently raised the potential annual sales of Nubeqa from EUR 1 billion to EUR 3 billion.
3. Bayer invests in Germany
In addition to the cost-cutting measures, however, Bayer also plans to hire more employees and invest more in Germany again from 2025. For example, the Crop Science Division plans to spend around EUR 385 million on digitization, production methods and future-proof technologies by 2026. The Pharmaceuticals Division will spend more than EUR 1.4 billion on technologies, new production facilities and digitization. Consumer Health will invest around 120 million euros in digitization, smart factory technologies and training programs over the next four years.
1. new monsanto trouble
The California City Attorney's Office in Los Angeles has sued Bayer subsidiary Monsanto (NYSE:MON). The company allegedly discharged carcinogenic chemicals (polychlorinated biphenyls) into rivers for decades until 1979. They do not break down in the environment, which is why the city still suffers from the consequences today. So new trouble could be brewing here for Bayer.
Would you invest in Bayer or do you already own shares?
Source: Investing.com
