JOST Werke SE, a leading manufacturer of safety-critical systems for commercial vehicles, reported a strong second quarter of 2026, with revenue rising 12.7% to EUR 440.2 million from EUR 390.7 million a year earlier. Organic growth, adjusted for currency and acquisition effects, reached 8.9%, supported by all regions and business lines. The company also posted a 19% increase in adjusted EBIT to EUR 43.9 million, with the margin improving to 10.0% from 9.5%.
The growth was broad-based, with the Transport business line growing 5.6% to EUR 218.7 million, Agriculture surging 20.2% to EUR 89.8 million, and Hydraulics jumping 20.9% to EUR 131.7 million. The Hydraulics growth was partly due to a favorable base effect from the reclassification of the Cranes business as discontinued, but organic growth, excluding that effect, was still strong at 8.5%. CEO Joachim Dürr highlighted that the quality of growth was particularly satisfying, as it came from market share gains and cross-selling synergies rather than acquisitions alone.
Regionally, EMEA revenue rose 9.5% to EUR 205.9 million, though adjusted EBIT margin declined to 4.3% due to structural changes and higher costs. AMERICAS saw revenue climb 17.1% to EUR 121.0 million, with adjusted EBIT up 42.3% to EUR 16.2 million. APAC revenue increased 14.0% to EUR 113.3 million, and adjusted EBIT grew 30.6% to EUR 17.8 million, benefiting from strong demand in India and China.
Group earnings after tax more than doubled to EUR 15.9 million, with adjusted earnings per share rising to EUR 1.48. Free cash flow improved significantly to EUR +17.3 million, and the company reduced its leverage ratio to 1.81x, back within its target range. ROCE also improved to 16.3%. CFO Oliver Gantzert attributed these improvements to disciplined capital allocation and the successful integration of Hyva.
Given the strong first-half performance, JOST confirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, expecting revenue growth in the single-digit percentage range and adjusted EBIT growth in the mid-to-upper single-digit range, with a higher margin than the previous year. The company remains cautious about potential economic disruptions but sees no significant impact from the Iran conflict on customer demand.
The interim report is available at JOST's investor relations page, and the earnings conference will be held on August 13, 2026, with a recording later available on the company's website.
