Genus shares slide despite bumper year and £60m buyback

Health Pharma & Biotech Written by: Ian Lyall 09:12 Thu 10 Sep 2026 --> Edited by: Jamie Ashcroft Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Genus PLC ( LSE:GNS ) View Price & Profile Genus shares slide despite bumper year and £60m buyback Published: 09:12 10 Sep 2026 BST Shares in Genus PLC (LSE:GNS) , the animal genetics group, fell 7% to 162p early Thursday even as the company posted a strong set of annual results and unveiled a £60m share buyback. The animal genetics group delivered a robust set of preliminary results for the year to 30 June 2026, with adjusted profit before tax climbing 35% to £100.2m and revenue holding broadly steady at £658.1m despite a 2% currency-adjusted dip. Adjusted operating profit rose 25% including joint ventures, helped by strong growth at PIC, a £5.6m milestone payment from Chinese partner BCA, and margin gains at ABS from its Value Acceleration Programme. Statutory pre-tax profit surged to £310.5m from £28.5m, largely reflecting a £204.1m gain on the disposal of a 51% stake in PIC China into a new joint venture. Adjusted earnings per share grew 35% to 110.3p, while free cash flow nearly doubled to £62.0m. The board lifted the full-year dividend 10% to 35.2p a share and, alongside today's results, announced a fresh £60m share buyback, to be completed during FY27. The sell-off came despite Panmure Liberum describing the year as a "vintage year", with Genus reporting a 30% increase in pre-tax profit at constant exchange rates. Analysts remain broadly upbeat. Panmure reiterated its 'buy' rating and 3,700p target price, arguing there is "nothing in the price" for Genus's pig respiratory disease-resistance technology, PRP, which is progressing through regulatory approvals in Latin America and beyond. The broker left its forecasts unchanged apart from the impact of the share buyback. Panmure Liberum noted that guidance for the year ahead points to pre-tax profit "moderately higher" than the normalised £90.3m base, in line with its own £92.8m forecast and consensus of £93.0m, meaning no material changes were needed to its numbers beyond incorporating the buyback. The broker added that the shares remain more than 10% below their March highs of just under 3,200p, despite balance sheet degearing and progress on PRP, and said it would be picking up the stock at current levels ahead of further catalysts. Panmure Liberum reiterated its 'buy' rating and 3,700p target price, saying it sees "nothing in the price" for Genus's PRP technology, which is progressing through regulatory approvals and has begun commercialisation in selected Latin American countries. Peel Hunt nudged its earnings-per-share forecasts up 2-3% to reflect the buyback, while cautioning that growth next year is likely to be modest given tougher agricultural markets ahead, with the stock trading at 22 times forecast earnings once PRP costs are stripped out. Continue reading