Croda CFO vests 1,692 shares: Jefferies keeps Buy for Croda stock

Published on 10/02/2026 at 15:32 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

First-half profit before tax rose 25.60 percent to GBP 107.4 million. Croda stock costs EUR 38.85 on October 2, 2026 after EUR 38.78, plus 0.18 percent.

Architektur-Render eines Forschungsgebäudes mit Glasfassade und Grünanlagen — Croda International Plc (ISIN GB00BJFFLV09) symbolisiert dieses moderne Forschungsgebäude mit Glasfassade und begrünter Umgebung, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Croda stock was trading at EUR 38.85 at Lang & Schwarz on October 2, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. CEST, up 0.18 percent versus the prior close of EUR 38.78. Croda finance chief Stephen Richard Oxley vested 1,692 ordinary shares on September 30, 2026, while Jefferies maintained a Buy rating and a GBp 4,000 price target on September 25, 2026.

Finance chief receives share award

According to Investegate, Oxley received the shares through Croda's Buy-Out Share Plan 2025. The transaction took place on September 30, 2026, on XLON and carried a nil price, making it an award vesting rather than an open-market purchase.

The filing identifies the instrument as Croda ordinary shares under ISIN GB00BJFFLV09. The award is therefore a company-specific governance event, but its size is small beside Croda's broader operating base and does not itself change the group's capital structure.

Profit growth supports the rating

According to Ground News, Croda's profit before tax rose 25.60 percent to GBP 107.4 million in the six months ended June 30, 2026. Sales increased 2.90 percent to GBP 880.5 million, and the interim dividend was maintained at GBp 48.00 per share.

The combination matters because profit grew faster than revenue in the first half of 2026. Croda also kept its full-year 2026 outlook, giving the September analyst view a recent operating reference rather than relying only on valuation.

Jefferies target stays above the quote

MarketBeat reported on September 25, 2026 that Jefferies reaffirmed its Buy rating and retained a GBp 4,000 target. The target is 21.95 percent above the LSE reference price of GBp 3,280.00 on October 2, 2026, a gap that places the brokerage view above the current quotation without turning it into a guarantee.

MarketBeat's broader twelve-month consensus stood at GBp 3,490 from five analyst ratings, with three Buys and two Holds. Croda's LSE 52-week range was GBp 2,488.00 to GBp 3,520.24 as of October 2, 2026, placing the latest primary-market quote below the yearly high.

Trading remains near the annual high

At Lang & Schwarz, Croda stock was trading at EUR 38.85 on October 2, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. CEST, plus 0.18 percent versus the EUR 38.78 prior close dated October 1, 2026. The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Croda stock.