Engineering firm Senior has reported a 38 per cent increase in adjusted pre-tax profits to £34.8million for the six months to 30 June, driven by sustained demand from its aerospace and defence businesses.
The FTSE 250 company said revenue rose 7 per cent on a constant currency basis, climbing from £371.2million to £390.8million in the first half. Senior supplies the defence, aerospace and energy sectors with high-tech components, specialising in ducts and valves that control fuel consumption.
Its aerospace division, whose customers include Boeing and Airbus, reported what the company called positive momentum, with sales up 13 per cent year-on-year. Senior said orders and profitability showed excellent growth, reflecting strong demand for large commercial and business jets as well as sales to adjacent markets such as semiconductor equipment.
Defence division gets a boost
Senior's defence business, which focuses on military aerospace programmes, reported higher volumes as heightened geopolitical tensions drove demand. Total revenue from the division rose by £5.9million, or 10.4 per cent, compared with the first half of 2025. US defence giant Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-35 Lightning fighter jet, is among Senior's customers.
Chief executive David Squires said the group had performed very strongly in the first half of 2026, making excellent progress towards its medium-term targets. He said the aerospace division had continued its positive momentum, with order intake, sales, profitability and operating margins all showing excellent growth during the half-year.
Flexonics resilience and takeover deal
Senior's Flexonics division, which makes cooling systems and fuel-mixing and distribution equipment, outperformed expectations, with markets more resilient than anticipated. While overall revenue in the division was flat, land vehicle revenues, which had been expected to decline in the first half, increased by 2.8 per cent.
Senior said it was confident of delivering full-year performance in line with the upgraded expectations it announced in July.
The results come as the company readies for a £1.4billion takeover by a consortium comprising Tinicum and Blackstone. Senior told investors it expects the deal to be completed by the end of 2026, making it the latest London-listed firm to pass into foreign ownership. A number of British defence companies have been taken over by foreign firms in recent years, including Cobham, Inmarsat, Meggitt and Ultra Electronics.
Shares in Senior rose 0.52 per cent, or 1.5p, to 292p, taking year-to-date gains to 44.55 per cent.
