Computacenter PLC (LSE:CCC) shares surged to a new high in early trading on Thursday after the technology and services provider said first-half profit is set to double and upgraded its outlook for the current year.
The FTSE 100 group said preliminary results indicated adjusted profit before tax for the six months to 30 June would be about double last year's £81.5 million.
Trading in the second quarter exceeded its expectations following what it described as an excellent first quarter.
Growth was driven by another strong performance in North America, where demand from hyperscale customers was stronger than expected. That supported both its technology sourcing and professional services units.
The UK also delivered strong growth, with technology sourcing also to the fore, including further AI-related projects, alongside solid expansion in professional services.
Germany posted good growth in technology sourcing, though professional services remained subdued.
The committed product order backlog at the end of June was "well ahead" of the £7.1 billion reported at the end of 2025, reflecting strong order intake during the first half.
Results for the whole of 2026 are now expected to come in comfortably ahead of market expectations, even though trading faces a tougher comparison in the second half.
Analyst consensus compiled by the company currently forecasts adjusted profit before tax of £313.7 million for the full year, with estimates ranging from £305 million to £324.3 million.
Shares in Computacenter, which will report its half-year results on 8 September, jumped 10.7% to 4,578.84p, after earlier hitting a new all-time high above 4,700p.
Broker Stifel said the first half last year was "an easy comparable period", though with consensus at £124.1 million, double the H125 amount would be £163 million, "and therefore will be a significant upgrade".
On raising guidance for the full year, analysts noted that "given the company tends to be conservative with guidance, there will likely be a significant upgrade to the full year results also".
** UPDATE: Adds share price and broker comments **
