Bechtle

Bechtle acquires the Irish IT reseller Technology First, which offers hardware, software, procurement and deployment services under the brand ITQuotes and generates more than €30 million in annual sales. The company did not disclose the purchase price. Bechtle has been present in Ireland since 2008; the share price rose slightly in the short term. » More on finanzen.net

Bechtle will take over the operation and Europe-wide provision of a platform and cybersecurity architecture supplied by Secunet. The aim of the cooperation is to open up new market potential and to strengthen digital resilience, especially among public clients, operators of critical infrastructure and industrial companies. Financial details were not disclosed. » More on finanzen.net

US bank JPMorgan starts coverage of Bechtle with a 'Neutral' rating and a €38 price target. Analyst Joseph George names Computacenter his favourite among European VARs and rates Bytes Technology as 'Underweight'. For Bechtle, he does not expect a material upward revision of financial targets at the capital markets day in September; consensus already expects a mid-term earnings pickup. » More on finanzen.net

Bechtle massively increased inventories in the second quarter, causing operating cash outflows of €112.4 million (prior year: inflow €45.2 million). Despite the inventory build-up, revenue rose 16.5% to €1.73 billion and pre-tax profit increased by a fifth to €80.2 million; net profit was €57.8 million. The company raised its full-year guidance and expects revenue and profit growth of 5–10% for the year; the order backlog stands at €3.5 billion. CEO Thomas Olemotz simultaneously warned against euphoria and stressed that market conditions remain challenging. » More on finanzen.net

Bechtle reported Q2 2026 revenue up 16.5% to €1.73bn and pre-tax profit up 20.1% to €80.2m, both above analysts' expectations, and raised its full-year guidance significantly. Investors, however, focused on the sharply negative operating cash flow of -€112.4m (previous year +€45.2m), caused by a substantial build-up of inventories and working capital in connection with a record order book of €3.5bn. Management also noted that more than half of the revenue growth was due to price effects in servers, storage solutions and PCs, which tempers the quality of earnings; the stock gave back gains after an initial rally to €35.47. » More on de.investing.com