JOST Werke SE, a leading manufacturer of safety-critical systems for commercial vehicles, announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2026, showing strong revenue and profitability growth across all regions and business lines. The company's revenue increased by 12.7% to EUR 440.2 million, with organic growth of 8.9%, driven by market share gains and cross-selling synergies from the Hyva acquisition. Adjusted EBIT grew by 18.5% to EUR 43.9 million, and the adjusted EBIT margin improved to 10.0%, within the company's strategic corridor.
The company's growth was broad-based, with all three regions—EMEA, AMERICAS, and APAC—contributing to the positive performance. In EMEA, revenue rose by 9.5% to EUR 205.9 million, while AMERICAS saw a 17.1% increase to EUR 121.0 million, and APAC grew by 14.0% to EUR 113.3 million. The Transport business line grew by 5.6%, Agriculture by 20.2%, and Hydraulics by 20.9%. The Hydraulics growth was boosted by strong demand from mining and construction, as well as cross-selling synergies.
Profitability improved significantly, with adjusted EBIT rising faster than revenue. The adjusted EBIT margin increased to 10.0% from 9.5% in the prior year period. The company's group earnings after tax more than doubled to EUR 15.9 million, and adjusted earnings after tax rose by 19.1% to EUR 24.6 million. Earnings per share also increased, with adjusted EPS growing by 7.1% to EUR 1.48.
The company's cash generation strengthened considerably, with free cash flow rising to EUR +17.3 million from EUR +0.6 million in the prior year quarter. This was driven by higher revenue and improved working capital management. Net debt decreased to EUR 380.2 million, and the leverage ratio improved to 1.81x, back within the target range of 1.0x to 2.0x. The return on capital employed (ROCE) increased by 3.5 percentage points to 16.3%, reflecting efficient capital allocation.
Chief Executive Officer Joachim Dürr commented, "JOST once again achieved strong and broad-based growth in the second quarter of 2026. The quality of this growth matters most to me as all regions and business lines contributed organically. This performance reflects market share gains driven by new customer wins and cross-selling synergies rather than acquisition effects alone." He added that the company delivered the strongest first half-year in its history, with revenue of EUR 857 million and adjusted EBIT of EUR 88 million.
Chief Financial Officer Oliver Gantzert highlighted the disciplined capital allocation, stating, "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." He also noted a significant sequential improvement in free cash flow compared to the first quarter of 2026.
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. The company's strategy, AMBITION 2030, continues to drive growth and value creation.
