April 15 (Reuters) - German chip systems manufacturer Aixtron raised its revenue guidance for 2026 on Tuesday, propelled by strong demand for optoelectronics equipment, which sent its shares to an over two-year high on Wednesday.
Aixtron expects annual revenue of around 560 million euros ($660 million), plus or minus 30 million euros, having previously forecast it at 520 million euros with the same range of potential variation.
"The significantly stronger-than-expected demand from the optoelectronics sector in the first quarter is a very encouraging development," CEO Felix Grawert said in a statement, adding the company expected this trend to continue.
Aixtron's shares, which have gained nearly 130% so far in 2026, rose 13% and were leading gains on Europe's benchmark Stoxx 600 index in early trading.
Analysts from J.P. Morgan highlighted strong quarterly orders on the back of the positive momentum in optoelectronics—a semiconductor technology used in light-related applications like LEDs, lasers and solar cells.
"Given upgrades to near-term estimates and clearly positive order commentary, we expect to see Aixtron shares to outperform in response," the analysts said in a note to investors.
Aixtron's order intake grew 30% from a year ago to around 171 million euros in the first quarter.
The world's largest supplier of chipmaking tools, ASML, also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and lifted its full-year outlook on Wednesday, as artificial intelligence boosts demand for its equipment.
($1 = 0.8480 euros)
(Reporting by Ozan Ergenay in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
