Lindt boosts 2025 profit as customers bear brunt of cocoa costs

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SWISS chocolatier Lindt & Spruengli reported a roughly 10-percent rise in its annual operating profit on Tuesday, beating market estimates, as it successfully passed on higher cocoa prices to customers.

The premium chocolate teddy bear producer’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were 971 million Swiss francs ($1.25 billion) in 2025, above analysts’ average forecast of 968.9 million francs, based on data compiled by LSEG.

The company, based in Kilchberg on Lake Zurich, had previously reported 2025 sales growth slightly ahead of expectations, with a 12.4-percent organic rise, helped by a 19-percent hike in selling prices aimed at passing higher cocoa costs on to customers.

Cocoa prices, which soared over 2024 and 2025, have been on a prolonged slide this year, dipping to three-year lows. But London cocoa dealers said last week they had seen early signs of market stabilization.

Falling raw material costs should provide a tailwind for Lindt this year, analysts said ahead of the earnings release.

The maker of Excellence chocolate bars also announced a share buyback program of 1 billion francs, set to replace an existing buyback of up to 500 million francs which it plans to terminate ahead of schedule in the coming months.

Lindt said it would propose a dividend of 1,800 francs for its registered shares, which carry voting rights, and 180 francs per participation certificate.

The company, which in January said its EBIT margin expansion would be at the lower end of its medium- to long-term target of 20-40 basis points (BPS), reported a 20-bps jump in its annual margin to 16.4 percent.

In January, it forecast organic sales growth of 6 percent to 8 percent for 2026 and beyond. However, it said on Tuesday 2026 growth would come between 4 percent and 6 percent. — Reuters