Rio Tinto Reports Higher H1 2026 Earnings and Increases Interim Dividend

The Tip Desk · July 29, 2026 · 1 min read

The mining group saw a 28% rise in underlying EBITDA and a 75% jump in free cash flow, driven by productivity gains and favorable commodity prices.

Rio Tinto announced a "step-change in performance" for the first half of 2026, reporting underlying EBITDA of $14.8 billion, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2025 [4, 5]. Profit after tax attributable to owners rose 47% to $6.7 billion, while underlying earnings grew 43% to $6.9 billion [4, 5]. Consolidated sales revenue increased 15% to $31.0 billion.

Financial results were supported by a 32% increase in net cash generated from operating activities, which reached $9.2 billion [4, 5]. Free cash flow rose 75% to $3.8 billion [4, 5]. Consequently, the company declared an interim ordinary dividend of $3.4 billion, representing a 43% increase.

Operational highlights included a 3% increase in copper equivalent production. The copper segment saw underlying EBITDA rise 84% to $5.7 billion, aided by a 35% increase in the average realised copper price. The lithium segment's underlying EBITDA increased more than fourfold to $0.2 billion, supported by a 53% increase in volumes and a 22% rise in realised lithium prices. In contrast, the iron ore segment's underlying EBITDA decreased 1% to $6.8 billion.

Regarding company outlook, Rio Tinto stated it is on track to reach an annualised productivity run-rate of $1.8 billion by year-end. The company also confirmed that material assumptions for its production targets remain unchanged, with plans to build a capacity of 60 kt of battery grade lithium carbonate per year.