AIXTRON SE (FSE: AIXA, ISIN DE000A0WMPJ6) announced on April 14, 2026, that it is raising its guidance for fiscal year 2026 following stronger-than-expected demand in the optoelectronics sector during the first quarter. The company reported preliminary order intake of approximately EUR 171 million for Q1 2026, a year-over-year increase of about 30% from EUR 132.2 million in Q1 2025. More than 65% of equipment orders were attributed to the optoelectronics segment.
Preliminary revenues for the quarter were approximately EUR 59 million, within the guided range of EUR 65 million plus or minus EUR 10 million, but down from EUR 112.5 million in the prior year. The decline was partly due to a mid-single-digit million euro one-off charge related to personnel measures, which impacted gross profit and operating results. Preliminary gross profit fell to about EUR 11 million (Q1 2025: EUR 34.1 million), with a gross margin of approximately 18% (Q1 2025: 30%). The preliminary operating result (EBIT) was roughly EUR -22 million (Q1 2025: EUR 3.3 million), corresponding to an EBIT margin of about -38% (Q1 2025: 3%). The low margins were primarily attributed to negative operating leverage from low volume, in addition to one-off expenses.
Despite the weak earnings, cash flow remained positive. Preliminary cash and cash equivalents, including other current financial assets, increased to approximately EUR 273 million at the end of the quarter, up from EUR 224.6 million on December 31, 2025.
Based on current market developments and an assumed exchange rate of 1.20 USD/EUR, AIXTRON has raised its guidance for fiscal year 2026. The company now expects revenues of around EUR 560 million in a range of plus or minus EUR 30 million, up from the previous guidance of EUR 520 million. The EBIT margin is now anticipated to be between 17% and 20% (previously 16% to 19%), and the gross margin is expected to be around 42% (previously 41% to 42%).
CEO Dr. Felix Grawert commented on the results: "The significantly stronger-than-expected demand from the Optoelectronics sector in the first quarter is a very encouraging development. We expect this trend to continue and have therefore raised our guidance for the year. With our G10-AsP system, we have the tool of record for the next generation of photonic components, which are the basis for chip-to-chip, rack-to-rack and datacenter-to-datacenter communications in the AI era."
The full report for the first quarter of 2026 will be published on April 30, 2026. For more information, visit AIXTRON's website.
