Gooch & Housego (LSE:GHH) on Tuesday reiterated unchanged FY2026 expectations and said it remains on track for mid‑teens returns over the medium term after first‑half revenue rose 15.5% to £81.9m versus £70.9m in H1 2025.
Adjusted operating profit rose 16.9% to £7.2m, adjusted basic earnings per share increased to 16.4p (H1 2025: 15.0p), reported operating profit was £4.9m (H1 2025: £4.2m) and the group's order book reached a record £167.3m (30 September 2025: £142.4m), up 16.5% on a constant currency basis.
"This enlarged order book gives us stronger forward visibility than we have had historically and reflects the benefits of our strengthened positions in structurally attractive end‑markets," Charlie Peppiatt, Chief Executive Officer, said.
Aerospace & Defence revenue surged 51.7% to £35.6m (H1 2025: £23.5m) and produced an adjusted operating profit of £3.6m (H1 2025: £0.6m), while Industrial was broadly flat and Life Sciences revenue declined 7.7% amid Pockels Cells material shortages that constrained early‑period production.
Net debt leverage was 1.5x (Sept 2025: 1.3x), the committed debt facility was increased to $70m and net finance charges rose to £1.6m (H1 2025: £1.3m) largely reflecting borrowings to fund the June 2025 Global Photonics acquisition, with integration of Phoenix Optical and Global Photonics now largely complete.
