Bayer Adds Antitrust Battle in Iowa to Glyphosate Overhang, Stock Slides
29.05.2026 - 19:04:25 | boerse-global.de
A fresh legal front has opened for Bayer in the US, compounding the pressure from its long-running glyphosate litigation and dragging its shares lower. The stock shed nearly 4% on Friday to close at €36.30, extending the weekly decline to 5.4%. That puts the equity more than a quarter below the 52-week peak of €49.17 reached in February.
The latest headache comes from Latham Seed, which filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in Iowa on May 28 accusing Bayer of monopolising the market for genetically modified corn seed. The independent seed company claims that Bayer controls herbicide-tolerant traits in maize, artificially inflating costs for farmers and smaller competitors. Bayer immediately dismissed the allegations as unfounded, but the suit adds a new dimension to the legal uncertainty already hanging over its Crop Science division.
That division has been battling thousands of glyphosate-related claims in the US. A proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve many of those cases was announced recently but still requires judicial approval. In the first quarter alone, Bayer disbursed roughly €2 billion to cover litigation payouts, contributing to a 9% rise in net financial debt to €32.52 billion. The new antitrust complaint only deepens the cloud, with the stock’s annualised volatility running at about 35% as investors react to each fresh courtroom headline.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Bayer?
Beneath the legal noise, the underlying business shows resilience. Bayer CropScience Limited, the Indian subsidiary, reported full-year revenue of INR 56.75 billion, with pre-tax profit climbing 21% to INR 8.55 billion. CEO Simon Wiebusch credited the performance to a diversified portfolio. Group-wide, the Crop Science division posted currency- and portfolio-adjusted growth of 6.8% in the first quarter, and Bayer has maintained its full-year guidance.
Operational stability, however, is being overshadowed by balance-sheet strains and a leadership transition. Judith Hartmann is set to take over as chief financial officer on June 1, succeeding Wolfgang Nickl under a planned handover. CEO Bill Anderson has promised a leaner organisation through the “Dynamic Shared Ownership” restructuring model. The debt burden remains a concern: net financial debt now stands at €32.52 billion after the €2 billion litigation outlay in Q1.
Analysts have raised isolated price targets but largely stick with “Hold” ratings, reflecting the difficulty of valuing a company with such legal uncertainty. A potential catalyst for the pharma arm comes with the ASCO annual meeting in Chicago starting May 29, where new oncology data will be presented. But for the stock to recover meaningfully, investors need clarity on the legal front—something that remains elusive as both the glyphosate settlement and the newly filed antitrust suit grind through the courts. The next scheduled update on operations will come in August with second-quarter results.
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