Alstom first-half sales and earnings rise, lifts growth outlook; stock up

Investing.com -- Alstom posted higher sales and earnings for the first half of its 2025/26 fiscal year, driven by strong performance in its rolling stock and signalling businesses and robust demand in North America.

The company’s shares jumped over 4% in early Paris trading on Friday. 

The French train maker revealed that group sales rose 3.2% to €9.06 billion, up 7.9% organically, with all product lines contributing to growth. 

Adjusted EBIT increased 13% to €580 million, lifting the operating margin to 6.4% from 5.9% a year earlier. Net profit rose sharply to €220 million, compared with €53 million in the first half of 2024/25.

Chief Executive Henri Poupart-Lafarge commented, “Recent commercial successes, notably in the Americas and in very high-speed rail, underscore the strength of Alstom’s business model.” 

He added that strong sales growth across all product lines showed the company’s “ability to accelerate backlog delivery and achieve full-year growth above our initial expectations.”

Alstom’s backlog reached €96.1 billion, supported by a book-to-bill ratio of 1.2, providing strong visibility for future sales. 

Orders reached €10.5 billion, with particularly strong momentum in the Americas, where order intake surged to €3.5 billion from €0.9 billion a year earlier, thanks to major U.S. contracts for Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit.

The company upgraded its organic sales outlook to above 5%, from a previous range of 3% to 5%, while maintaining targets for an adjusted EBIT margin of around 7% and free cash flow between €200 million and €400 million for the full year.

Alstom said it was “ready for a solid second half,” citing a healthy backlog and continued demand for sustainable mobility.

(Sam Boughedda contributed to this report.)