Symrise AG

Symrise's share price over the last five years tells the story of a defensive, structurally growing business that weathered notable drawdowns in 2022–23 before recovering toward the mid-70s, closing at 75.82 as of February 22, 2026.

2020–2021: Covid resilience and defensive growth

Symrise proved relatively resilient through the Covid shock. Demand for food, beverages, pet food, and personal-care ingredients held up better than in cyclical chemicals, reinforcing its defensive growth image among investors. The company executed its organic growth strategy with mid-single-digit sales growth and solid margins, supporting a re-rating versus more cyclical peers.

Bolt-on M&A in taste and nutrition, along with expansion into pet food and cosmetic ingredients, positioned the company as a quality compounder in structurally attractive end-markets.

2022: Input-cost inflation and multiple compression

Sharp input-cost inflation—raw materials, energy, logistics—pressured margins across the flavors and fragrances industry. Investors shifted focus from pure growth to cost pass-through and pricing power, weighing on Symrise's valuation multiple despite continued revenue growth.

Concerns about consumer down-trading and potential volume softness in discretionary fragrance and beauty categories created volatility. The market began reframing the stock less as "hype growth" and more as a staple-like name with earnings risk from cost inflation.

The chart reflected this shift: an earlier uptrend gave way to a topping phase and correction, with shares backing away from prior highs and trading in a choppy, downward-sloping range through the year.

2023: Earnings pressure and de-rating

Reported growth slowed and profitability came under visible pressure before recovering, contributing to a de-rating even as organic growth continued. Regulatory discussions affecting certain fragrance ingredients and ESG scrutiny added headline risk, shifting the narrative toward a high-quality but temporarily "over-owned" name.

Technically, the share price spent much of 2023 in a broad sideways-to-down range, with rallies failing near prior resistance and pullbacks testing multi-year support zones.

2024: Profitability recovery and the return of defensive compounder status

Symrise reported 2024 revenue of approximately €5.0 billion, up 5.7% year-on-year, with earnings increasing over 40%—a strong profitability recovery after the prior margin squeeze. EBITDA margin reached 20–21%, and management reaffirmed mid-term targets to 2028: 5–7% organic growth and an EBITDA margin corridor of 21–23%.

The board proposed a dividend of €1.20 per share for 2024, marking the 15th consecutive increase and reinforcing Symrise's profile as a reliable compounder with an attractive, steadily rising payout.

As margins recovered, the narrative shifted back toward "defensive growth" or "defensive compounder"—behaving more like a consumer staple than a cyclical chemical. Articles noted steady gains and a grind higher with low beta as investors rebuilt exposure to high-quality, innovation-driven consumer-ingredients companies amid macro uncertainty.

Technically, 2024 featured a medium-term uptrend from prior lows, with the stock moving from the lower part of its 52-week range toward the upper half, punctuated by modest pullbacks but no extreme volatility.

2025–February 2026: Portfolio reshaping and buyback

In early 2025, Symrise released its 2024 Corporate Report, emphasizing significant sales growth and strong profitability gains, sustaining a constructive narrative into 2025. Quarterly updates through the year (including Q3 2025 sales of about €1.22 billion with modest organic growth) showed disciplined capital allocation in a normalized demand environment.

By late 2025, the company announced plans to divest its terpenes business and recognized non-cash impairments on its Swedencare investment—portfolio-shaping moves that would weigh on 2025 earnings but leave liquidity and operations intact.

In January 2026, Symrise launched a €400 million share buyback program running from February to October 2026, signaling confidence in intrinsic value and adding support for earnings per share. Management share purchases disclosed in January and February 2026, along with the upcoming March 2026 earnings date, reinforced internal confidence and ongoing commitment to shareholder returns alongside the rising dividend.

As of February 2026, Symrise's market cap sits around €10–11 billion with a trailing P/E near 21, revenue close to €5 billion, and a dividend of €1.20 per share—consistent with a high-quality, moderately valued defensive growth stock.

The 52-week range runs from roughly the mid-60s to above 100, indicating the shares have previously traded substantially higher than the current mid-70s area, leaving visible overhead resistance from the prior peak zone. With an RSI in the low 60s and beta around 0.56, the technical setup suggests a moderate uptrend with relatively low volatility—a gradual recovery phase rather than momentum blow-off.

Recent trading has seen the price oscillate within the broader range while holding above key support in the mid-60s, as investors weigh the portfolio reshaping and buyback against macro risks and upcoming earnings news.