Trading update third quarter 2026

• Net sales of CHF 155.6 million in Q3/26 (Q3/25: CHF 102.5 million), +51.9%
• Incoming orders: CHF 275.6 million in Q3/26 (Q3/25: CHF 102.1 million), +170.0%
• Book-to-bill of 1.77 in Q3/26
• FY26 guidance increased: net sales of CHF 570 – 590 million and an
  EBITDA margin of 17.0% – 19.0%

CEO Stephan Haferl said: “The strong upswing in the semiconductor industry has reached Comet. Combined with our leading market positions, market share gains from new products, and improved efficiency, this positions us exceptionally well for a strong start to 2027.”

Comet

Q3/26

Q3/25

change*

9M/26

9M/25

change*

Net sales (million CHF)

155.6

102.5

+51.9% (+49.9%)

395.5

329.6

+20.0% (+24.3%)

*   In brackets: at constant exchange rates

In Q3/26, Comet continued to benefit from unabated growth in the semiconductor industry. Demand remained driven by the expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure. While the recovery was initially driven primarily by investment in logic and DRAM applications, the NAND segment also gained increasing momentum as the year progressed. Customers’ willingness to invest continued to rise across all key semiconductor segments.

Against this backdrop, Comet increased its net sales in Q3/26 by 51.9% compared with the same quarter of the previous year (+49.9% at constant exchange rates). In the first nine months of the year, net sales rose by 20.0% (24.3% at constant exchange rates). This marked a continuation of the growth momentum seen in the first half of the year.

The strong performance was driven by the Plasma Control Technologies (PCT) division. Demand for established products remained high, while the Synertia^® platform continued to gain market acceptance. As adoption by customers and across applications increases, PCT’s is broadening its footprint across various semiconductor segments and technology nodes, thereby strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth. The Industrial X-Ray Modules (IXM) division also achieved strong net sales growth. IXM benefited from its leading position in the aerospace, security and defense markets, as well as from the successful expansion of its new product portfolio into structurally growing end markets such as semiconductors and batteries. By contrast, the X-Ray Systems (IXS) division recorded slightly lower net sales than in the strong corresponding quarter of the previous year. At the same time, the commercialization of the CA20 platform for Advanced Packaging made further progress. Strong order momentum, additional customer engagements and successful qualifications validate the compelling value proposition of the CA20 offering and reinforce our confidence in sustained growth for IXS in the semiconductor market.

The order situation developed particularly well. Incoming orders and the order backlog continued to rise across all divisions, while the book-to-bill ratio increased once again to 1.77. This positive momentum has strengthened our business visibility, with a significant share of our order book already scheduled for delivery well into 2027. The exceptionally strong order intake in the third quarter underlines customers’ confidence in the industry’s long-term growth prospects and strengthens the foundation for Comet’s continued business development in the coming quarters.

Outlook

The upswing in the semiconductor industry has continued to gain momentum over the course of the year. Demand is driven by the expansion of data centers and AI infrastructure and has broadened from logic and DRAM applications to other market segments, including NAND. In this dynamic market environment, Comet is focused on expanding its business operations quickly and efficiently to meet growing customer demand while ensuring smooth operations.

While geopolitical tensions continue to pose a risk to the global business environment, Comet is only affected to a limited extent. Potential indirect impacts, including higher transportation, logistics, energy, and raw material costs, as well as increasing regulatory requirements, are being addressed through targeted measures and the regional diversification of the value chain.

For FY26, Comet expects net sales of CHF 570 – 590 million, with a reported EBITDA margin of 17.0% – 19.0%. The EBITDA margin includes one-time costs totaling up to 3 percentage points related to the ramp-up of the Penang facility and ongoing efficiency improvement measures.

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