Neuren Pharmaceuticals reports lower profit but launches first dividend

The pharmaceuticals company is returning funds to shareholders with its first ever dividend.

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The Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) share price may be on watch today after the company delivered an 8% increase in revenue to $42.7 million for the half-year ended 30 June 2026, and announced its first ever dividend.

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What did Neuren Pharmaceuticals report?

  • Revenue rose 8% to $42.7 million (H1 2025: $39.7 million)
  • Net profit after tax dropped 68% to $4.9 million (H1 2025: $15.0 million)
  • Basic earnings per share was 3.83 cents (H1 2025: 11.88 cents)
  • Fully franked interim dividend of 15 cents per share declared
  • Royalty income from DAYBUE (trofinetide) up 29% in US dollars to US$23.3 million
  • Research and development costs increased to $27.4 million, up $12.5 million

What else do investors need to know?

Neuren's royalty income is primarily from DAYBUE sales by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, which posted US$226 million net sales in H1 2026, up 25% on last year. Growth was buoyed by the launch of DAYBUE STIX, a new powder formulation, in the US.

The company's research spend climbed as it advanced its Phase 3 study of NNZ-2591 in Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Neuren also implemented an on-market share buy-back, repurchasing $3.9 million in shares.

Importantly for shareholders, Neuren's new dividend policy has resulted in a fully franked interim dividend, to be paid in October. This marks the company's first ever payout and reflects its confidence in ongoing royalty streams.

What did Neuren Pharmaceuticals management say?

Neuren's CEO, Jonathan Pilcher, commented:

Neuren's substantial income from trofinetide means that we are in the enviable position of being able to fund all development programs for NNZ-2591 aiming for significant capital appreciation, as well as optimise total shareholder return through ongoing fully franked dividends.

What's next for Neuren Pharmaceuticals?

Looking ahead, Neuren expects continued growth in global DAYBUE sales, with Acadia guiding for 2026 net sales of US$480–510 million. The first commercial launch in Europe is targeted for Q4 2026, following a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency.

Neuren will also focus on progressing its NNZ-2591 clinical programs, with key FDA meetings scheduled and trial sites ramping up for rare neurodevelopmental disorders. Management aims to leverage these investments into further royalty income and milestone payments.

Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price snapshot

The Neuren Pharmaceuticals share price has outperformed the S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) over the past 12 months with a gain of over 25%.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

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