JOST Werke SE, a global leader in safety-critical systems for commercial vehicles, announced strong second-quarter 2026 results, with revenue rising 12.7% to EUR 440.2 million and adjusted EBIT up 18.5% to EUR 43.9 million. Organic growth of 8.9% was supported by all regions and business lines, underscoring the effectiveness of the company's AMBITION 2030 strategy.
Group earnings after tax more than doubled to EUR 15.9 million, while adjusted earnings after tax grew 19.1% to EUR 24.6 million. Free cash flow surged to EUR +17.3 million from EUR +0.6 million in the prior-year quarter, reflecting improved operational performance and disciplined working capital management.
Revenue growth was broad-based: Transport business line increased 5.6% to EUR 218.7 million, Agriculture grew 20.2% to EUR 89.8 million, and Hydraulics rose 20.9% to EUR 131.7 million. In the Americas, revenue grew 17.1% to EUR 121.0 million, with organic growth of 14.2%, driven by new customer wins and expanded business in South America. APAC revenue increased 14.0% to EUR 113.3 million, supported by strong demand in China and India. EMEA revenue grew 9.5% to EUR 205.9 million, though adjusted EBIT margin declined to 4.3% due to structural business model adjustments and higher costs from the Iran conflict.
Profitability improved significantly, with adjusted EBIT margin rising to 10.0%, within the strategic corridor of 10% to 12%. ROCE increased by 3.5 percentage points to 16.3%, and the leverage ratio improved to 1.81x, back within the target range of 1.0x to 2.0x. The balance sheet was strengthened by a EUR 92.6 million capital increase in February 2026, boosting equity to EUR 433.9 million and improving the equity ratio to 26.9%.
CEO Joachim Dürr commented, "JOST once again achieved strong and broad-based growth in the second quarter of 2026. This performance reflects market share gains driven by new customer wins and cross-selling synergies rather than acquisition effects alone." CFO Oliver Gantzert added, "Our disciplined capital allocation is paying off. Just one and a half years after the largest acquisition in our history, we have increased ROCE by 3.5 percentage points and brought our leverage ratio back into the strategic target range."
JOST confirmed its full-year 2026 outlook, expecting group revenue to grow in the single-digit percentage range and adjusted EBIT to grow faster than revenue, with margins improving year over year. The company remains confident despite ongoing supply chain challenges and geopolitical uncertainties, citing no significant impact from the Iran conflict on customer demand.
The interim report for the first half of 2026 is available at ir.jost-world.com/reports. A virtual earnings conference will be held on August 13, 2026, with a recording available on the JOST website.
