Shares jump as Croda in solid sales performance

Shares in Croda International rose more than 3 per cent after the specialty chemical firm lifted sales and kept its annual targets.

The group said sales in reported currency rose 6 per cent to £334.6 million in Q3, up from £315.3m in 2016. The rise was underpinned by its personal care arm, where sales climbed 7.5 per cent.

Croda chief executive Steve Foots said: “We continue successfully to deliver on our priorities for 2017 – driving profitability through premium, faster growth market niches; improving performance in less differentiated markets; and making progress towards our target increases in return on sales in life sciences and performance technologies.”