LONDON, May 19, 2026, 12:04 BST
Diploma PLC shares climbed Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 distributor lifting its 2026 outlook for the second time. Demand from aerospace, defence, datacentres and energy customers boosted the numbers. The shares traded up 4.75% to 6,940p at 11:49 BST, after touching 7,090p earlier. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.64% higher at 10,390.27.
Diploma shares jumped after the company boosted its full-year organic revenue growth target to 12% from 9%. The group also said new acquisitions are set to add 6% to reported growth. Adjusted operating profit growth is now expected to top 30%, which is a 6% bump from consensus. Investors got more than just a standard beat in the first half.
Organic growth is sales growth removing currency changes and deals, showing if the core business is expanding. Adjusted operating profit leaves out things like acquisition costs that can distort the picture. Adjusted operating margin is that profit over revenue.
Diploma reported revenue up 17% at £851.1 million for the six months ended March 31. Adjusted operating profit climbed 33% to £208.9 million. Adjusted EPS was up 36% to 109.2p, and the group lifted its interim dividend 5% to 19.1p.
Diploma CEO Johnny Thomson said it was a “great” first half. Thomson said Diploma has “strong positions in attractive, structurally growing markets.” The second half had “started well,” the CEO said, but noted the outlook is still uncertain. London South East
The Controls unit led growth with 26% organic gains. Peerless, Clarendon, IS Group and Windy City Wire all saw strength from aerospace, defence, datacentres and energy. Seals was up 2% organically, while Life Sciences added 4% despite slower healthcare demand.
Dealmaking gave Diploma a push. The company said it had made 15 deals over the past year for around £310 million. That includes seven since the Q1 update, with CDM—a U.S. interconnect player pulling in about $80 million in revenue—still waiting on regulators.
RS Group gained 0.33% to 612p at 11:46, moving on news tied to the stock instead of a general push for UK industrials. IMI, another engineering stock in London, rose 1.12% to 2,720p, according to its investor page.
Diploma upgraded its numbers after the big March reset, which bumped up its organic growth target to 9% from 6% and put its operating margin goal at about 25%, up from about 22.5%. That earlier increase had already pointed to strong trading in Controls, with aerospace orders at Peerless and more datacentre business at Windy City Wire.
But the bar has been set higher. Diploma warned about tough comparisons in the second half, possible cooling at Peerless, and threats from currencies, the wider economy, and overall business sentiment. If orders slow, an acquisition takes longer to close, or industrial demand dips, management could struggle to hold this latest upgrade.
