Data#3 Shares Surge as First-Half Guidance Points to 40% Profit Jump

Data#3 shares climbed 17% after the IT services provider guided for first-half pre-tax profit to rise more than 40% year on year.

An upbeat trading update from Data#3 sent its shares sharply higher on Thursday, with the Australian IT services provider telling investors that first-half profit will comfortably outstrip last year's result.

The stock climbed 17% to EUR 7.90 during the session, closing to within 1.2% of its 52-week high of EUR 8.00. The rally followed a single day after the shares had changed hands at EUR 6.75, underscoring how quickly sentiment shifted once the company's preliminary figures hit the market.

Profit Forecast Tops Prior-Year Benchmark

At the heart of the update is a projected acceleration in earnings for the opening six months of fiscal 2027. Data#3 expects gross profit to grow by more than 15% compared with the same period a year earlier. The consolidated pre-tax result is set to fare even better, with the company guiding for an increase of more than 40% over the AUD 33.5 million booked in the first half of fiscal 2026.

Management attributed the outsize gain to a combination of factors rather than a single driver. Heightened customer activity across the Infrastructure and Software Solutions businesses provided the core lift, while several large one-off transactions added further momentum. The timing of planned capital expenditure also worked in the company's favor, tempering total costs during the reporting period.

Interest income chipped in as well. Windfall gains of roughly AUD 1.5 million came in above earlier assumptions and gave the pre-tax figure an extra boost.

One-Off Effects Distort the Full-Year Picture

Data#3 was careful to temper expectations for the remainder of the year. Because a meaningful share of the earnings stems from non-recurring items, profit is heavily weighted toward the first half. Investors would be mistaken to extrapolate the first-half growth rates across the full twelve months, the company cautioned.

Even so, media reports indicate Data#3 still anticipates sustained profit growth for fiscal 2027 as a whole. The interim guidance carries conditions: it hinges on actual trading through December 31, 2026, and remains subject to the half-year accounts being finalized and put through the usual audit review.

ASX Filing Draws Immediate Market Response

The official disclosure, lodged with the Australian Securities Exchange under the heading "DTL 1H 27 Trading Update," laid out figures that combined steady organic business, major contract wins and one-time earnings effects. Traders responded with a clear demand overhang, pushing the price to a fresh high on the day and leaving the stock within striking distance of its annual peak.