JOST Werke SE, a global leader in safety-critical systems for the commercial vehicle industry, reported strong financial results for the second quarter of 2026, with revenue rising 12.7% to EUR 440.2 million and adjusted EBIT up 18.5% to EUR 43.9 million, reflecting the company's successful execution of its AMBITION 2030 strategy.
The company's organic growth of 8.9% in the quarter was supported by all three regions and all business lines, demonstrating the resilience and diversification of its portfolio. Notably, the Agriculture and Hydraulics business lines saw significant revenue increases of 20.2% and 20.9%, respectively, driven by strong demand in the Americas and cross-selling synergies from the Hyva integration. This broad-based growth allowed JOST to fully offset the challenging market environment in the USA, as highlighted by CEO Joachim Dürr.
Profitability improved markedly, with the adjusted EBIT margin rising to 10.0% from 9.5% in the prior-year quarter, placing JOST within its strategic profitability corridor of 10% to 12%. Earnings after tax more than doubled to EUR 15.9 million, and adjusted earnings per share grew by 7.1% to EUR 1.48, even after a capital increase in February 2026. The company also generated significantly higher free cash flow of EUR +17.3 million, up from EUR +0.6 million in Q2 2025.
Regionally, EMEA revenue grew 9.5% to EUR 205.9 million, though its adjusted EBIT margin declined to 4.3% due to a structural adjustment in the business model and higher input costs from the Iran conflict. The Americas region posted a 17.1% revenue increase to EUR 121.0 million, with a 42.3% surge in adjusted EBIT to EUR 16.2 million, thanks to new customer wins and a better product mix. APAC revenue rose 14.0% to EUR 113.3 million, with adjusted EBIT up 30.6% to EUR 17.8 million, driven by strong demand in India and China.
JOST's balance sheet strengthened significantly. Equity increased by EUR 105.7 million to EUR 433.9 million, and the equity ratio improved to 26.9%. 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. ROCE increased by 3.5 percentage points to 16.3%, demonstrating efficient capital allocation.
CFO Oliver Gantzert emphasized the company's disciplined capital allocation, noting that just 1.5 years after the Hyva acquisition, ROCE has improved and leverage is back in range, providing financial flexibility for future growth opportunities. He also expects the positive free cash flow trend to continue.
Based on its strong first-half performance, 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, leading to an improved adjusted EBIT margin. The company assumes no significant deterioration in key markets and no major impact from the Iran conflict on customer demand. The interim report is available at https://ir.jost-world.com/reports.
