Well, I'll just let the share continue to run. And stay invested.
Aixtron is more optimistic about the current year thanks to surprisingly strong demand in the optoelectronics sector. The system manufacturer is now forecasting revenue of EUR 530 to 590 million for 2026 - previously the forecast was around EUR 40 million lower. The management is also more confident about profitability and has raised the expected EBIT margin to between 17 and 20 percent.
However, the start to the year was mixed: although turnover in the first quarter was within the company's own target range, at 59 million euros it was well below market expectations and below the previous year's figure of 112.5 million euros. In addition to the weak volume, extraordinary costs in the course of personnel measures also had a negative impact. As a result, the operating margin slipped deep into the red.
Nevertheless, optimism prevailed on the stock exchange, especially as the weakness in the first quarter was expected. Tailwind also came from analysts: Barclays confirmed its "Overweight" rating with a target price of 33 euros. Above all, the momentum in the optoelectronics business and strong order signals underpin the raised targets. Weaknesses in the first quarter are seen as temporary. JPMorgan and Citi also remain optimistic and confirm their buy recommendations. Citi analyst Andrew Gardiner explained that although sales in the first quarter were slightly weak, this was more than offset by strong demand in the optoelectronics segment and the raised forecast. Given the strength of AI-driven demand for optoelectronics, Gardiner expects this trend to continue until at least 2027.
Conclusion
The Aixtron share has already performed extremely strongly in recent months. Since the contrarian purchase in AKTIONÄR HSR's 2030 portfolio in June 2025, Aixtron has achieved 200 percent price gains for readers as of today. The share price has more than doubled since the turn of the year. This makes Aixtron by far the best-performing stock in the MDAX, ahead of Nordex, which has gained 55%. Nevertheless, the share was able to make further gains compared to the Xetra close on Wednesday morning. Investors who are already invested are staying put.
