London, Feb 26, 2026, 08:46 GMT — Regular session
- Haleon climbed roughly 2% in early Thursday trading, rebounding after taking a sharp hit the previous day.
- Sensodyne’s parent projected organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% for 2026 and detailed its plans for shareholder returns.
- The April 29 Q1 trading statement is up next on investors’ radar.
Haleon shares bounced 1.9% higher to 385.1 pence as of 08:31 GMT, recouping part of Wednesday’s drop after investors had a strong response to the company’s outlook.
Haleon shares ended Wednesday off 6.85% at 377.9p, after slipping to 374.1p earlier in the session. The stock reacted to the company’s full-year numbers and fresh targets for 2026.
This is significant: Haleon has sold itself on the “steady grower” story ever since the demerger, but walking back guidance for the near term now puts the coming year in a new light. That initial pop in the shares doesn’t resolve the uncertainty.
Haleon is projecting organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% for 2026, but the fourth quarter came in softer, with organic revenue up just 2.1%. That figure strips out currency effects as well as acquisitions and disposals. CEO Brian McNamara said the focus in the U.S. will be holding onto market share rather than hiking prices further. “We feel confident the U.S. will grow this year,” he told Reuters. But Chris Beckett at Quilter Cheviot pointed out that “Many households feel financially stretched”—even for basic over-the-counter medicines. Reuters
Haleon reported a 3.0% increase in 2025 organic revenue, with adjusted operating profit jumping 10.5% to £2.53 billion. The company attributed the gain to a 220-basis-point lift in adjusted gross margin. Free cash flow landed at £1.91 billion, while leverage closed the year at 2.6 times net debt to adjusted EBITDA. Looking ahead to 2026, Haleon projects organic revenue growth in the 3% to 5% range and has earmarked £500 million for share buybacks. The group also sees high single-digit growth for adjusted operating profit next year.
The board is putting forward a 2025 total dividend of 7.1p per share, according to a U.S. regulatory filing. That figure includes a proposed final dividend of 4.9p, set for payment on May 14 to shareholders registered by April 10. London-listed shares are scheduled to go ex-dividend April 9, the same filing notes.
Haleon, behind brands like Sensodyne and Centrum, goes up against consumer-health names such as Reckitt Benckiser and Kenvue in categories from oral care to over-the-counter treatments. The squeeze has shown up in the U.S.
Still, there’s no promise Haleon returns to that medium-term growth range. Should U.S. consumers continue to tighten their wallets, or if deeper discounts spread through vitamins and similar lines, the hoped-for volume rebound could easily sputter—leaving margins looking messier than bulls might like.
Traders are watching the pace of Haleon’s buyback, but they’ll also want to see that management’s pledge for better U.S. performance comes through in the 2026 sales numbers—not just reflected in cost controls.
Looking ahead, Haleon’s Q1 2026 trading statement lands April 29.
