Maersk shares jump 5% as profit beats expectations, guidance raised again

Maersk's shares surged over 5% following the container shipping group's second-quarter profit that exceeded expectations and a raised full-year guidance. The company's profit more than doubled to $1.31 billion from $639 million a year earlier, while revenue rose 20% to $15.76 billion. EBITDA climbed to $2.99 billion from $2.30 billion, surpassing analyst consensus by 44%.

The Ocean division was the main driver of the surprise, with EBIT surging to $935 million from $229 million as higher freight rates and firmer volumes offset costs tied to Middle East-related disruption. Maersk raised its 2026 underlying EBITDA guidance to $10.5 billion-$12.5 billion from $8 billion-$10 billion and underlying EBIT guidance to $4.5 billion-$6.5 billion from $2 billion-$4 billion, citing continued tightness in the container market.

The debate now shifts to how durable the higher rate environment is, with analysts noting that loaded volumes were broadly in line with forecasts and the average loaded freight rate of $2,746 per forty-foot equivalent unit came in 15% above consensus.

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