Computacenter PLC (LSE:CCC) shares rocketed to a record high in early trading on Thursday after the technology and services provider delivered a dramatic profit upgrade.
The FTSE 100 group said preliminary results showed adjusted profit before tax for the six months to 30 June would be approximately double last year’s £81.5 million.
Trading in the second quarter exceeded management expectations, following what Computacenter itself described as an excellent first quarter performance.
Growth was driven by a strong showing in North America, where demand from hyperscale customers proved stronger than anticipated, supporting both technology sourcing and professional services divisions.
The UK also contributed meaningfully, with technology sourcing leading the way, including further AI-related projects alongside solid expansion across professional services.
Germany posted good growth in technology sourcing, though professional services in that market remained subdued during the period.
The committed product order backlog at the end of June came in well ahead of the £7.1 billion reported at the close of 2025, reflecting robust order intake throughout the first half.
Full-year 2026 results are now expected to land comfortably ahead of market expectations, despite the company facing tougher comparisons in the second half of the year.
Analyst consensus compiled by Computacenter currently forecasts adjusted profit before tax of £313.7 million for the full year, with individual estimates ranging from £305 million to £324.3 million.
Shares in Computacenter jumped 10.7% to 4,578.84p in morning trading, having earlier struck a new all-time high above 4,700p, with the company due to report its half-year results on 8 September.
Broker Stifel noted that the first half of last year was “an easy comparable period”, adding that with consensus at £124.1 million, double the first-half 2025 figure would reach £163 million, “and therefore will be a significant upgrade”.
Analysts also observed that “given the company tends to be conservative with guidance, there will likely be a significant upgrade to the full year results also”, reinforcing the bullish market reaction.
The results underline how AI-driven infrastructure spending is accelerating revenue across Computacenter’s core markets, with hyperscale demand in North America emerging as a particularly powerful tailwind for the business.