Bayer's Split Question Laid to Rest as Broker Targets Diverge Around a 55-Euro Close
Published on 11/08/2026 at 19:11 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Bayer shares finished Friday at €55.08, a level that leaves the bulls and the fence-sitters on opposite sides of their own price targets. DZ Bank lifted its fair value for the German drugs-and-agriculture group to €64 on Thursday and reiterated its buy call, while Jefferies nudged its target up from €46 to €48.50 the following day but stayed with a hold rating — a figure that sits below where the stock actually closed.
Analyst Michael Leuchten kept his forecasts at the low end of Bayer's own guidance range, according to dpa-AFX, with his attention fixed squarely on the glyphosate settlement question. Jefferies thus remains more guarded than other houses that raised their marks after the quarterly figures. Goldman Sachs moved its target from €63.50 to €66.00 on Wednesday and reaffirmed its buy recommendation, with media reports pointing to the development and growth prospects of the pharmaceutical division as a key driver behind the post-earnings round of upgrades.
Two Chinese Approvals in Quick Succession
The pharma unit delivered regulatory news of its own on Wednesday. China's NMPA cleared Sevabertinib as a first-line treatment for adults with advanced HER2-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, a decision Bayer said rests on results from the ongoing Phase I/II SOHO-01 trial. That followed the October 26 approval of Asundexian under the brand name Sunharbo, indicated for reducing stroke risk in adults after non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA. Bayer described the drug as the first factor XIa inhibitor available in China.
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A Missouri Jury Sides with Monsanto
On the legal front, Bayer subsidiary Monsanto secured a unanimous jury verdict in St. Louis on October 30 against three plaintiffs. Reuters read the outcome as an encouraging test of the litigation routes left open after the US Supreme Court ruling. Management leaned on both the stronger pharma trajectory and that courtroom win when presenting this week's quarterly results.
Guidance Raised Even as Losses Pile Up
For full-year 2026, Bayer lifted its EBITDA before special items forecast to between €9.8 billion and €10.3 billion. The company also improved its outlook for the Pharmaceuticals margin and for free cash flow, where it now expects a range of minus €1.5 billion to minus €0.5 billion. The third quarter of 2026 nonetheless produced a group loss of €0.7 billion, weighed down in part by impairment charges at Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health.
No Breakup on the Table
Chief executive Bill Anderson said on Tuesday, according to media reports, that splitting up the group is not on the agenda. Bayer intends to concentrate on innovation and on bringing down its debt load instead.
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Bayer Stock: New Analysis - 8 November
Fresh Bayer information released. What's the impact for investors? Our latest independent report examines recent figures and market trends.
