Many companies are currently paying one-time bonuses to their employees in view of the sharp rise in prices for energy, food and many other important product categories.

The semiconductor manufacturer Aixtron is also one of them.

To support this, all employees receive an inflation compensation bonus of 1,500 euros in December.

In Germany, this premium is granted free of tax and social security contributions as part of the federal government's relief package.

In 2023 there will be another 1,500 euros.

The company, which manufactures production machines for the semiconductor industry, will thus make full use of the 3,000 euros provided for in the relief package.

While the employees should be happy about such a bonus, Aixtron itself does not seem to need any support at the moment.

In view of the inflation, high interest rates and the gloomy economic prospects, the market environment is anything but positive.

Nevertheless, Aixtron is able to buck the trend with a strong order situation and has even increased the growth forecast for 2022.

Strong order intake despite difficult environment

Between January and September 2022, incoming orders increased by 13 percent year-on-year to EUR 425.6 million.

In the third quarter, the plus was even 25 percent to 142.8 million euros.

Individual customer-related delays in delivery and waiting for export licenses to be issued caused delays, so that sales in the third quarter fell by 32 percent to EUR 88.9 million.

However, management assumes that the number of deliveries in the current fourth quarter will be extraordinarily high and that revenues will likely increase significantly.

Aixtron has recently benefited in particular from an uninterrupted high demand for systems for the production of efficient power electronics.

Because regardless of whether it is in the production of solar systems, electric cars or electric car filling stations - energy-saving components that Aixtron produces are urgently needed.

One of the best German stocks in 2022

In view of the positive business development, the forecast for incoming orders for the full year 2022 has been increased from EUR 520 to 580 million to EUR 540 to 600 million.

Sales are still seen at 450 to 500 million euros.

The profitability targets were again raised.

The gross margin should reach a value of around 42 percent (previously: around 41 percent).

The EBIT margin is now assumed to be between 22 and 24 percent (previously around 21 to 23 percent).

The positive business development also ensured that the Aixtron share is one of the absolute top performers in the Tec-Dax and M-Dax this year.

Since the beginning of the year, the price has increased by more than 70 percent.

Analysts have also recently been impressed by the prospects for Aixtron.

Most recently, the growth outlook was particularly convincing.

Therefore, Berenberg confirmed the "buy" assessment, while the price target remains at EUR 28.00.

The analysis house Jefferies sees it similarly.

The Americans have left the rating for Aixtron on "Buy" with a price target of 35 euros.

Woe to those who joined Aixtron early on

Over the past ten years, investors have been able to earn good money with the action share.

An investment of 10,000 euros in 2012 has grown to almost 35,000 euros to date.

Over a period of two years, the same amount turned into more than 21,000 euros.

Those who took the shares into their portfolio when Aixtron was first listed on the stock exchange around the year 2000 will continue to look anxiously at the position.

Because for many investors who got involved at the time, Aixtron was a real capital destroyer.

This is shown by the fact that the Aixtron share, despite the strong price development since spring 2020, is still well below the former record high of more than 87 euros from 2000.

But that doesn't change the fact that Aixtron is currently a promising title that is still in an intact long-term upward trend in terms of chart technology.