Ajinomoto raises sales forecast by ¥35 billion to ¥1.767 trillion for fiscal 2027
Key Facts
Ajinomoto raised its sales forecast for the fiscal year ending in March 2027 by ¥35 billion to ¥1.767 trillion and increased its net profit forecast by ¥11.5 billion to ¥135 billion, according to Investing.com. The decision followed higher sales and profit in the six months ended September 2026, as the company attributed the forecast revisions to improved revenue outlooks in seasonings and foods, frozen foods, healthcare and other businesses. The revision reflects an annual review of expected performance for the full fiscal year, not an announcement of final results. First-half sales were ¥831.2 billion, while profit attributable to owners of the parent was ¥73.3 billion. Growth in healthcare and other businesses, supported by sales of electronic materials used in semiconductor packages, was one of the results' main highlights.
Sales rose 12.5% year over year in the first half to ¥831.2 billion, according to figures reported by Investing.com. Profit attributable to owners of the parent climbed 43.1% to ¥73.3 billion over the same period. The figures highlight the widening gap between sales growth and profit growth, while the available data did not describe the period's profit as a record. The results cover the six months ended September 2026, so they represent half of the fiscal year and not the outcome for the year ending in March 2027. The company cited improved revenue outlooks across several businesses when it raised its full-year estimates, with forecasts still varying by activity.
Healthcare and other businesses were a key growth driver, with segment operating profit surging 57.8% in the first half of fiscal 2026. Investing.com attributed much of the increase to strong sales of electronic materials used in semiconductor packages. This links the segment's performance to materials used in semiconductor manufacturing, without making Ajinomoto Build-up Film chip business alone the explanation for the results. In its revenue outlook, the company also cited seasonings and foods, frozen foods, healthcare and other businesses. This diversity places electronic materials' performance in the broader context of the company's operations, while highlighting its contribution to profit growth in healthcare and other businesses.
The forecast increase did not extend in the same direction to every part of Ajinomoto's business: the company cut its frozen foods profit forecast by ¥3 billion for the fiscal year ending in March 2027. At the same time, the revision reflected improved revenue outlooks across seasonings and foods, frozen foods, healthcare and other businesses. This shows variation within the forecasts: better revenue estimates for several businesses alongside a specific reduction in the frozen foods profit forecast. The report did not give the new profit forecast for that business, so the available figure remains the ¥3 billion reduction. For the company as a whole, Ajinomoto raised its sales forecast to ¥1.767 trillion and its net profit forecast to ¥135 billion.
Ajinomoto also raised its annual dividend forecast to ¥52 per share, compared with a dividend of ¥48 per share in the previous fiscal year. The new forecast includes an interim dividend of ¥26 per share in fiscal 2026, according to Investing.com. The dividend revision accompanies the higher sales and net profit forecasts, adding another element to the company's annual update. Comparison with the previous dividend shows the change announced on a per-share basis, without further details in the available data about the dividend schedule. The ¥52 per share remains a forecast for the fiscal year, not a figure confirming that the full annual dividend has already been paid.
In market data reported by EL7, AJINF shares closed at 30.73 on November 6, 2026, compared with a close of 32 on November 4. These prices identify the closing levels on the two dates, without specifying the currency or explaining the change between them. The data therefore do not link the share move to the company's forecast announcement. In the broader sector, EL7 published a story on November 9, 2026, about Japanese chip materials companies raising their annual profit forecasts, supported by a boom in AI servers. This places Ajinomoto's update in the wider context of Japanese materials companies, while the key fiscal-year date in its forecasts remains the year ending in March 2027.