Lanxess shares fell sharply after the company posted first-quarter results that were broadly in line with expectations but gave a weaker-than-expected second-quarter outlook.

Lanxess shares fell about 12% after the German chemicals group gave a weaker-than-expected second-quarter outlook, even as first-quarter results came in broadly in line with expectations.

In its May 7 update, the company said first-quarter sales were EUR 1.378 billion, down 13.9% from a year earlier, and EBITDA before exceptionals was EUR 94 million. Reuters-syndicated market coverage said the stock slide reflected disappointment with the guidance, not the quarter itself.

Lanxess guided second-quarter EBITDA before exceptionals to EUR 130 million to EUR 150 million, a range that fell below market expectations. The company kept its full-year 2026 EBITDA before exceptionals guidance unchanged at EUR 450 million to EUR 550 million.

The group said it continues to face weak demand, pricing pressure from Asian competitors and geopolitical uncertainty. Those headwinds have weighed on the industrial chemicals sector more broadly.

The earnings report turned into a guidance-driven selloff, with investors focusing on the softer near-term outlook despite the unchanged full-year target.

Revision note

Initial automated publication.