Mincon Group (AIM: MCON), the Irish engineering group that designs, manufactures and services rock drilling tools, reported a positive start to 2026 ahead of its annual general meeting, with order books strengthening through the first quarter.
The company said it had successfully carried the positive momentum built during 2025 into the first three months of 2026, with demand across the construction sector proving particularly robust.
Growth in large scale construction projects across North America was identified as the primary driver behind a year on year revenue increase in the opening quarter, with the Americas region accounting for the bulk of the uplift.
Gross margin improved over the period, with the company citing ongoing efforts to enhance manufacturing efficiency across its production facilities as the reason for the positive movement.
Order books across the group strengthened throughout the first quarter, providing management with a degree of forward visibility heading into the second quarter.
Mincon has manufacturing facilities spread across Ireland, the UK, Finland, the United States, South Africa, Canada, Sweden and Australia, and sells its consumable products into the mining and construction sectors globally.
The group also declared an interim dividend of €0.01 per share with an ex dividend date of 21 May 2026, maintaining its established practice of distributing regular dividends to shareholders throughout the year.
Mining sector revenue remained a more mixed picture, with the company navigating ongoing challenges in certain African markets where shifts in drilling methods among key clients have created headwinds.
Mincon said its strategy remained focused on increasing market share in the global rock drilling consumables market through a combination of organic growth initiatives and targeted acquisitions.
The update was issued in advance of the group’s annual general meeting and covered the period from 1 January 2026 to the date of the announcement.
Kier Confirms Steady Trading Through April Period End
Kier Group (LON: KIE), the UK construction and infrastructure services company, confirmed it continued to trade well and in line with internal expectations for the period ended 30 April 2026, maintaining the positive momentum it has built through the current financial year.
The update follows the group’s strong first half results published earlier in the year, when Kier reported rising revenue and profit alongside reaching an average net cash position for the first time in 13 years, a milestone chief executive Stuart Togwell described as a significant marker for the Business.
Kier operates across three principal divisions: Construction, which delivers building work for public and private sector clients including schools, hospitals and defence estates; Infrastructure Services, which covers highways, rail, utilities and water contracts; and Property, which invests in and develops commercial and mixed use schemes.
The group holds a substantial order book, which had grown to approximately £11.6 billion as of the most recent public update, underpinned by long term framework agreements with National Highways, Network Rail, the Ministry of Justice and several local authorities.
Kier has been conducting an ongoing share buyback programme, repurchasing shares steadily through the first months of 2026 via Deutsche Numis, and the company now holds around 1.1 million shares in treasury.
A dividend of 2.60 pence per share went ex dividend on 16 April 2026, with payment scheduled for 22 May 2026, reflecting the group’s reinstated capital returns policy following its financial restructuring in prior years.
Analysts covering the stock have an average price target of around 273 pence against a recent share price of approximately 197 pence, implying meaningful upside on consensus forecasts.
The company’s full year preliminary results are scheduled to be released in September 2026, with the next formal update expected ahead of that date.