Symrise Posts 5.3% Organic Growth in Q3 as Arcadis Boosts Operating Profit
Key Facts
Symrise reported organic sales growth of 5.3% in the third quarter of 2026, exceeding its expectations, with group sales reaching 1.310 billion euros, compared with 1.222 billion euros in the year-earlier period. The company said growth was driven mainly by higher volumes, amid resilient demand and a more favorable year-on-year comparison. In a separate disclosure, Arcadis reported net revenue of 991 million euros, up 4.3% organically year on year. Arcadis' revenue growth accelerated from 1.0% in the third quarter of 2025, while its operating EBITA margin rose to 12.5% from 11.6%. The two companies' results show activity growth, but the available Arcadis disclosure does not say it exceeded market expectations.
At Symrise, the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment posted organic growth of 5.2%, while the Scent & Care segment grew 5.6%. The company said its Pet Food and Care & Wellness businesses returned to growth during the quarter. This came amid regional performance led by Asia-Pacific, where growth reached double-digit levels, according to the disclosure. The company added that Latin America recorded strong growth, while North America continued to deliver resilient performance. Europe, Africa and the Middle East posted moderate growth, Symrise said.
Symrise's year-on-year comparison reflects an improvement in the pace of organic growth: the company recorded 1.4% in the third quarter of 2025, and growth reached 2.6% in the first nine months of that year. In October 2025, Symrise cut its full-year organic growth forecast to a range of 2.3%–3.3% from 3.0%–5.0%, amid a global demand environment it described as tougher than expected. The current quarter's growth, which exceeded expectations according to the company, provides a different backdrop to that earlier revision. Symrise said, however, that the higher base of comparison from last year will affect the coming months. It therefore expects sales growth to slow in the fourth quarter compared with the third-quarter pace.
Symrise said fourth-quarter growth is expected to slow sequentially because of the higher year-on-year comparison, and it expects adjusted EBITDA margin to be in the lower half of its guidance range. The company reaffirmed its 2026 forecast for organic sales growth of between 2% and 4%. The guidance includes an adjusted EBITDA margin of between 21.5% and 22.5%, and an adjusted business free cash flow margin above 14%. Symrise said it expects sales growth to approach the midpoint of the range. These targets remain the company's full-year guidance, while fourth-quarter results are expected to test the effect of the higher comparison it cited.
At Arcadis, operating EBITA rose to 124 million euros from 108 million euros in the third quarter of 2025. The margin improved to 12.5% from 11.6%, reflecting higher operating profitability during the period. The company said revenue growth benefited from continued strength in energy and water activities and major transport programs. It added that performance in industrial manufacturing and technology also improved. In the third quarter of 2025, Arcadis' net revenue was 936 million euros, with organic growth of 1.0%, while its operating EBITA margin rose to 11.6% from 11.4% in the year-earlier period.
Arcadis' free cash flow rose to 131 million euros in the third quarter, compared with 80 million euros in the year-earlier period. Days sales outstanding also declined to 65 days from 73 days, the company said. The backlog stood at 3.9 billion euros, up 7.9% organically year on year, a level Arcadis said supports visibility into future revenue. The company said the improvement in its operating EBITA margin benefited from increased operating leverage, lower costs for support functions and operating leverage, and cost control. These indicators follow Arcadis' first-quarter 2026 results, when net revenue grew 0.8% organically and the operating margin was 11.0%, compared with 10.9% in the year-earlier period.
Arcadis reaffirmed its 2026 guidance, expecting low-single-digit organic growth in net revenue and an operating EBITA margin of between 11.7% and 12.0%. In February, the company had forecast stable organic revenue growth for the year and described 2026 as a transition year, while setting the same margin range. This means the third-quarter update did not change the margin range announced by the company at the start of the year. Arcadis scheduled the release of its fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 results for February 18, 2027. That release will provide a subsequent reading on the year's performance in light of the company's guidance and the backlog and cash flow indicators it reported in the third quarter.