This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Order Intake: Record CHF500 million in Q2, a 40% sequential increase and 102% year-over-year growth.

Order Book: Increased by 50% since last reporting, over 120% compared to last year.

Revenue Growth: First-half orders increased 75% year over year.

Factory Output: Achieved a 32% increase in Q2, targeting a quarterly output run rate of more than CHF450 million by year-end.

Gross Profit Margin: Increased to 66.6% from 65.5% last year.

EBITDA Margin: 29% in H1 2026, compared to 29.6% last year.

R&D Investment: Approximately 7% of sales invested in R&D.

Geographical Sales Distribution: 73% of products and services delivered to Asia; China business accounted for 28% of sales.

Employee Growth: Over 700 new employees added across Malaysia, Switzerland, and Romania.

Sales Forecast: Q3 2026 sales expected in the range of CHF355 million to CHF385 million.

Release Date: July 22, 2026

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

VAT Group AG (VACNY) reported a record CHF500 million order intake in Q2, reflecting strong demand in the semiconductor market.

The company successfully ramped up production capacity, achieving a 32% increase in output, surpassing their target of 20% to 30% per quarter.

VAT Group AG (VACNY) is expanding its technological capabilities with the acquisition of Atonarp, enhancing its molecular sensing and analytics offerings.

The company added over 700 employees across Malaysia, Switzerland, and Romania to support its production ramp-up.

VAT Group AG (VACNY) secured 60 specification wins in the first half of 2026, demonstrating its technology leadership in the semiconductor market.

Negative Points

The semiconductor market is experiencing a supply and demand imbalance, which could pose challenges for VAT Group AG (VACNY).

Gross profit for the first six months declined by 7% year over year, slightly less than the 8% decline in sales.

The company’s EBITDA margin decreased to 29% in H1 2026 from 29.6% the previous year, due to ramp-up costs and lower sales.

VAT Group AG (VACNY) faces potential geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties that could impact its supply chain and sales.

The company’s sales in China declined as a percentage of total sales, from 35% to 28%, as sales in the rest of the world accelerated.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Are you seeing any double ordering pattern from your customers given the growth in orders compared to WFE’s growth? A: Urs Gantner, CEO: The order patterns are changing as customers are more open to extending their order windows from the traditional three to four months to three to six months. This is due to the ramp phase and the need to prepare the supply chain for increased demand.

Story Continues

Q: Are you planning to increase capacity in 2027, given the expected growth? A: Urs Gantner, CEO: We are preparing for potential growth beyond 2027, and if the positive momentum continues, we may need to add capacity. The CHF450 million run rate by the end of the year is necessary for the start of 2027, but it may not be the end.

Q: Is the current demand driven by potential price increases, leading to pre-buying by customers? A: Urs Gantner, CEO: The current demand is not driven by the threat of price increases. It is due to the actual demand for wafer fab equipment, and customers are securing supply by opening their order windows.

Q: What is the expected impact of the Atonarp acquisition on VAT’s future growth? A: Urs Gantner, CEO: The acquisition of Atonarp is a strategic move to expand VAT’s technology scope into advanced process sensing and analytics. It is not expected to be revenue-driven in the near term but will provide unique technology that will be crucial for future semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Q: How do you see the regional exposure, particularly in China, affecting future growth? A: Urs Gantner, CEO: While the percentage of sales from China has decreased, the order intake from China remains strong, accounting for about one-third of total orders. The growth in China is expected to continue as more Chinese fabs are built by Chinese tools.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.