SYDNEY, June 8, 2026, 05:05 (AEST)
Nufarm Ltd starts the holiday-shortened week in Australia after shares closed at A$2.82, falling 7 cents, or 2.42%, on Friday with higher volume. The crop chemicals and seeds company saw 16.35 million shares traded and has a market cap near A$1.11 billion, according to its ASX page.
No trading reset Monday as the Australian Securities Exchange shuts for the King’s Birthday holiday on June 8. There will be no settlement. Nufarm faces its first real test on Tuesday’s open after weak closes in both local and U.S. markets.
Nufarm shares have handed back some of their gains since the late-May rally. The stock dropped 6% from its A$3.00 close seven days ago, though it is still ahead almost 18% for 2026, Intelligent Investor data show.
Nufarm’s latest catalyst remains its May half-year result. The company posted a 28% rise in statutory net profit after tax to A$38 million for the six months to March 31. Underlying NPAT was up 35% to A$52 million. Underlying EBITDA gained 18% to A$243 million. Free cash flow rose by A$193 million. Net debt dropped by A$135 million to A$1.23 billion.
Nufarm’s management wants investors to look past weaker revenue and pay attention to margins, cash and debt. On the call, CEO Rico Christensen said the firm had “done what we said we would.” CFO Brendan Ryan told investors that debt cuts were now thanks to “improved earnings and cash generation.” Analysts from Jefferies, Citi, Bell Potter, Morgans and Macquarie asked about omega-3 pricing, inventory levels, asset sales and FX. Investing
But risks remain. Crop Protection underlying EBITDA was up 3% at A$223 million, but APAC dropped 15% as dry weather in Australia and currency weakness in Asia weighed. Nufarm said its FY26 outlook counts on normal seasonal and market conditions, and warned of rising active ingredient, freight and energy costs linked to Middle East instability. Leverage stood at 3.6 times earnings at March 31; the company wants to get to about 2.0 times by year-end.
ASX 200 slides as Wall Street sinks after jobs data
The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia dropped 61 points, or 0.70%, to close at 8,625.10 on Friday, with pressure from banks and miners. U.S. markets turned lower after strong U.S. jobs data raised fresh worries about more rate hikes. The Nasdaq tumbled 4.18%, S&P 500 was off 2.64%, Dow finished down 1.35%, according to Reuters.
Peer comparisons are in focus too. Nufarm’s mix of crop-protection and seed businesses is being weighed against bigger players like Corteva, which Reuters said is planning to split its seed and pesticide businesses into separately listed companies, and FMC, calling itself an agricultural sciences group that works on crop-protection technology. The matchup isn’t perfect, but the question stays the same: which parts of the farm-input sector should get capital, and what’s the right return?
The coming week looks set to focus more on price action than fresh corporate updates. If buyers step in on Tuesday, the market could be signaling that there’s still some faith in the half-year results and the debt strategy. If the selling starts up again, investors may be signaling the late-May rally moved faster than the business, which is still dealing with weather, rising costs, and shaky global sentiment.
