Croda International Plc (CRDA.L)
Croda is a British chemical company that creates the clever, invisible ingredients found in everything from your shampoo to life-saving vaccines.
Is Croda International Plc a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Strong reputation for high-quality, specialised ingredients. Worth weighing: Recent earnings have been significantly impacted by market conditions. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has Croda International Plc actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, Croda International Plc fell as much as −44% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Becoming a dominant player in sustainable, high-tech ingredients.
Loss of market share to cheaper, generic chemical competitors.
What does Croda International Plc do?
Croda specialises in 'speciality chemicals,' which are high-tech ingredients that give products their texture, stability, or effectiveness. Most of the income is from selling these essential components to big brands in the beauty, healthcare, and agricultural industries. Keep an eye on whether they can recover from recent profit dips as they pivot toward high-growth areas like biotechnology.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and growth, and weakest on value.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 3.5% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 3% over the year
- !High P/E of 56 - big growth is already priced in
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- Momentum screens high (73/100)
- Strong reputation for high-quality, specialised ingredients
- Essential role in the supply chains of major global brands
- Solid gross margins indicating pricing power
- Dependence on global economic health affecting customer demand
- Rising costs of raw materials squeezing profit margins
- Competition from lower-cost chemical manufacturers
What do Croda International Plc's numbers mean?
Does Croda International Plc pay a dividend?
Yes - Croda International Plc currently pays a dividend of about 3.5% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about Croda International Plc's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does Croda International Plc report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Croda International Plc is next scheduled to report on about 2027-02-23 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-07-25 | £0.93 | £0.41 | Missed -56% |
| 2016-07-25 | £0.72 | £0.31 | Missed -57% |
| 2014-11-07 | £0.66 | £0.29 | Missed -56% |
| 2014-07-22 | £0.33 | £0.30 | Missed -9% |
| 2014-02-25 | £0.34 | £0.31 | Missed -8% |
| 2013-04-25 | £0.39 | £0.32 | Missed -17% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Croda International Plc came in ahead of what analysts expected 0 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Corteva, Inc.What are the scenarios for Croda International Plc?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Croda International Plc?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Strong reputation for high-quality, specialised ingredients
- Essential role in the supply chains of major global brands
- Solid gross margins indicating pricing power
- Recent earnings have been significantly impacted by market conditions
- Low return on equity: How much profit the company makes for each £1 shareholders have put in. Higher usually means a more efficient business. suggests current assets aren't working very hard
- High current P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. makes the shares look expensive relative to recent profits
- Dependence on global economic health affecting customer demand
- Rising costs of raw materials squeezing profit margins
- Competition from lower-cost chemical manufacturers
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained return to high profit growth would invalidate the current 'earnings slump' narrative.
- A major shift in the company's dividend policy would change its appeal to income-focused investors.
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.