JOST Werke AG announced earnings results for the first half of 2018. The company's sales rose by 5.3% in the first half of 2018 to EUR 381.1 million against EUR 361.9 million a year ago. This improvement was fueled in particular by strong growth in North America, where JOST expanded its share of the fast-growing truck and trailer market. Adjusted group earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) rose to EUR 45.0 million against EUR 44.3 million a year ago. In the first six months of the year, the net finance loss saw a significant improvement year-on-year to EUR 6.0 million. This was mainly attributable to the revaluation of shareholder loans in the previous year, which no longer depressed the net finance result in the first half of 2018. Adjusted for exceptional, profit after taxes was up 13.0% in the first half of 2018 to EUR 28.9 million against EUR 25.5 million a year ago. Pro forma earnings per share rose to EUR 1.94 against EUR 1.71 a year ago. Overall, consolidated profit improved in the first six months of 2018 to EUR 34.7 million and earnings per share rose to EUR 2.33.

For fiscal year 2018, the company expects that organic sales will grow by a mid- to high-single digit rate compared with the previous year (previous forecast: mid-single digit organic sales growth) and that adjusted EBIT will grow by a mid-single digit percentage compared with 2017.