JOST Werke SE, a leading manufacturer of safety-critical systems for the commercial vehicle industry, reported strong revenue and profitability growth for the second quarter of 2026, driven by broad-based organic growth across all regions and business lines. The company also confirmed its outlook for the full fiscal year 2026.
In Q2 2026, JOST's revenue increased by 12.7% to EUR 440.2 million, up from EUR 390.7 million in the same period last year. Adjusted for acquisition and currency effects, organic growth was 8.9%, with contributions from all three regions—EMEA, AMERICAS, and APAC—and all business lines. The growth was primarily fueled by market share gains from new customer wins and cross-selling synergies from the integration of Hyva, particularly in the off-highway sectors of Agriculture and Hydraulics.
Profitability also improved significantly. Adjusted EBIT rose by 18.5% to EUR 43.9 million, outpacing revenue growth, and the adjusted EBIT margin expanded to 10.0% from 9.5% in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA grew by 15.8% to EUR 56.6 million, with the margin improving to 12.9%. The company attributes these gains to organic growth, synergy realization from the Hyva acquisition, operational improvements, and a favorable regional mix.
Group earnings after tax more than doubled, increasing by 132% to EUR 15.9 million, while adjusted earnings after tax rose by 19% to EUR 24.6 million. Earnings per share also more than doubled to EUR 0.95, and adjusted earnings per share increased to EUR 1.48.
Cash generation was notably stronger, with free cash flow surging to EUR +17.3 million from EUR +0.6 million in the prior-year quarter. The company also reported an improvement in its return on capital employed (ROCE), which increased by 3.5 percentage points to 16.3%, and its leverage ratio improved to 1.81x, back within the target range of 1.0x to 2.0x.
Regionally, EMEA revenue grew by 9.5% to EUR 205.9 million, though adjusted EBIT declined to EUR 8.8 million due to structural adjustments and higher input costs. AMERICAS revenue increased by 17.1% to EUR 121.0 million, with adjusted EBIT rising by 42.3% to EUR 16.2 million, driven by new customer wins and a better product mix. APAC revenue grew by 14.0% to EUR 113.3 million, with adjusted EBIT up 30.6% to EUR 17.8 million, supported by strong demand in construction and mining.
Oliver Gantzert, CFO of JOST, highlighted the company's disciplined capital allocation: “Just one and a half years after the largest acquisition in our company’s history, we have increased ROCE by 3.5 percentage points to 16.3% and brought our leverage ratio back into the strategic target range. This is clear evidence that we are deploying our capital in a value-creating way.”
Looking ahead, JOST confirmed its outlook for fiscal year 2026, expecting group revenue to increase in the single-digit percentage range and adjusted EBIT to grow at a faster pace, with the adjusted EBIT margin expected to be higher than the prior year's 9.5%. The forecast assumes no unexpected deterioration in key markets, and the company currently sees no significant effects from the military conflict in Iran on customer demand.
The interim report for the first half of 2026 is available at https://ir.jost-world.com/reports. The accompanying earnings conference will be held on August 13, 2026, with a recording available on the JOST website at https://ir.jost-world.com.
