Melbourne, June 25, 2026, 09:03 (AEST)
- Orica finished Wednesday at A$23.05, gaining 1.01%. Volume hit 3.14 million shares, almost double the 1.64 million average.
- The S&P/ASX 200 closed up 0.24% at 8,808.4. Orica outperformed, topping the benchmark by 0.77 point.
- The stock is up 10.18% from its A$20.92 finish before the May half-year numbers.
- Orica said it will pay a 28.5 Australian-cent interim dividend on July 3 to eligible shareholders.
Australian shares were still in pre-open at the dateline. Regular trading on the cash market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sydney time.
Orica Limited (ASX:ORI) heads into Thursday coming off its biggest one-day gain since June 18. Shares are little changed over the past month. The stock is up 21.5% in the past year. The benchmark finished Wednesday at 8,808.4.
The gain from A$20.92 on May 6 to A$23.05 has put about A$987 million more on Orica’s equity value, going by the current share count. Orica’s market cap is now around A$10.7 billion. Shares are still close to 13% below the A$26.47 52-week high.
Orica reported first-half underlying net profit of A$283.1 million, up 8%, and EBIT of A$512 million, up 5%. Return on net assets hit 14.7%, the highest level in 13 years. Significant items totaling A$283.7 million pushed the company to a statutory loss of A$600,000. CEO Sanjeev Gandhi said, “We have delivered record earnings in the first half.” Orica expects underlying EBIT growth across all segments and regions this year. Most of the A$100 million in cost cuts will come through in 2027. Orica
Orica’s latest figures from its Indonesian joint venture raise another challenge. Kaltim Nitrate Indonesia hit a new high in 2024, pumping out 347,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, roughly 95% of its rated yearly output. Since 2012, the plant’s total is more than 3.9 million tonnes, with 670,000 tonnes sent abroad—about 17% of all output so far. That means there’s not much space to lift volumes further without squeezing out more productivity or building new capacity. Orica boss Gandhi said the company is “committed to continue to invest in Indonesia”. Orica
Orica finished buying the rest of the Nelson Brothers explosives joint venture in the US on June 1. The acquisition brings more manufacturing and distribution to its US quarry and construction operations. “We are focused on integrating the business and delivering the benefits,” Gandhi said. Orica
The interim dividend comes in at 1.24% of Wednesday’s share price. It’s unfranked. Only investors on the books as of May 22 will get the payout. Shares traded ex-dividend on May 21.
Analyst targets for the stock average A$25.79, according to estimates that go from A$20 up to A$28. That puts the potential move from Wednesday’s close between a 13% fall and a 21% jump.
Orica’s latest entry on the ASX announcement page is a June 5 dividend update. The company didn’t provide any new filings during Wednesday’s jump in volume.
