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Spirent Communications PLC on Tuesday said revenue increased in the first half of the year but its pretax loss widened amid ‘macroeconomic headwinds’, as it awaits the completion of a takeover by Keysight Technologies Inc. The Crawley, England-based test and assurance solutions provider said revenue increased 5.5% to $208.1 million in the six months to the end of June from $197.3 million a year ago. The pretax loss for the period widened to $12.8 million from $7.5 million. Product development costs grew 5.7% to $50.1 million from $47.4 million, selling and marketing costs climbed 6.3% to $64.0 million from $60.2 million and administration costs were up 22% to $48.5 million from $39.9 million. In March 2024, Spirent agreed to a takeover proposal from California-based manufacturer of electronics test and measurement equipment and software Keysight to buy the FTSE 250 firm for 201.50 pence per share, which valued Spirent at £1.16 billion. Last month, Keysight said it expects the deal to complete by September 29, as it is working with the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation to obtain clearance. In June, the takeover received approval from the US Department of Justice. The firm said its order intake during the period climbed 9.4% to $206.5 million from $188.8 million. Looking ahead, Spirent said while market conditions are likely to remain challenging in the near term, it maintains a positive medium-term outlook. The company said it is benefitting from a strong order book, including traction in artificial intelligence data centres and financial services. At the end of the first half, the order book was at $310.1 million, up 9.1% from $284.2 million a year ago. ‘We delivered a resilient first half performance, continuing to advance our strategic priorities, despite macroeconomic headwinds,’ said Chief Executive Officer Eric Updyke. ‘We have continued to maintain strong customer engagement and project delivery, thanks to our committed and highly capable team. We are executing with discipline, investing in innovation, and positioning Spirent to capture growth as market conditions recover.’ Shares in Spirent Communications were up 0.1% at 195.40p in London on Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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