Vp plc (LON: VP.) shares rose today after the specialist equipment rental group said it remains on course to meet full-year market expectations. The trading update covers the six months ended the 30th of September 2026 and points to a second half that outperforms last year’s.
The company expects to perform in line with market expectations for the year ending the 31st of March 2027, and expects the second half of that year to beat the second half of the last one. It titled the update “Resilient six months of trading on track to meet full year expectations”.
The second-half case rests on infrastructure demand. Electricity transmission continues to perform well and rail remains stable. Vp also reported encouraging momentum in water, where AMP8 activity has grown in the second quarter.
The International segment also continues to perform well, according to the update.
At Brandon Hire Station, performance has improved following last year’s restructure, even though General Construction remains challenging. As expected, some exceptional restructure costs are being recognised in this financial year.
Chief executive Alice Woodwark linked the UK momentum to the outlook for the second half.
The first half of the financial year has again demonstrated the strength and resilience of our diverse business model. Momentum in our UK segment increases our second half confidence, where we remain well positioned to take advantage of supportive infrastructure markets, specifically in water and electricity transmission. We will provide further details at our interim results.
Alice Woodwark, chief executive of Vp plc
Vp said continued investment in digital transformation is improving operational efficiency, alongside a strengthened Executive Committee.
The update backs expectations rather than raising them. Vp’s compiled analyst consensus for 2026/2027 is revenue of £351.3m and profit before tax, amortisation and impairment of goodwill, trade names and customer relationships and exceptional items of £32.5m. Consensus pre-IFRS 16 net debt is £154.4m.
Vp publishes interim results on the 25th of November.
