Sales growth in the first half was in line with expectations, within the range for full-year outlook. Organically, sales grew by 8% (4% DKK, 8% LCY). Sales growth slowed down during the period as expected after a strong first quarter and due to a higher comparable level in the second quarter.
EBIT grew by 19%, and the EBIT margin increased by 3.5 percentage points to 28.1%. The higher EBIT margin was driven by a one-time positive impact of roughly 2 percentage points from The BioAg Alliance and a significant improvement in underlying earnings. Free cash flow came in strongly at DKK 3,417 million due to the positive one-time impact from The BioAg Alliance and a relatively low level of CAPEX in the period.
The full-year sales growth outlook is maintained. Full-year expectations for EBIT and net profit growth are increased to 9-11%, up from 8-10%. Expectations for ROIC, including goodwill, are adjusted to ~22%, up from 21-22%. Lastly, expectations for free cash flow are revised upward by DKK 500 million, mainly as a result of lower expectations for net investments and a higher positive impact from The BioAg Alliance.
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