+23% price increase in just a few days! DroneShield, BioNTech, and WashTec shares!

WashTec: Management provides exciting insights

While German stocks tended to weaken in the second half of 2025, WashTec's rally began. Since mid-October, the share price of the world's leading provider of professional car wash solutions has risen from EUR 37.50 to EUR 48. The stock is trading at its highest level since 2022. There are good reasons why the rally should continue in 2026. WashTec has initiated an exciting transformation, is paying dividends, and is buying back its own shares. Analysts at mwb research see the fair value of the share at EUR 55.

In an interview with Lyndsay Malchuk from the IIF, CEO Michael Drolshagen and CFO Andreas Pabst interestingly presented WashTec's future prospects. According to them, the Company is clearly positioning itself as a solution provider rather than a pure equipment manufacturer. The aim is to earn money not only from the sale of the car wash system, but throughout the entire customer journey. To this end, the Company plans to integrate hardware and software more closely and offer operators data-based control, for example, via KPI-driven dashboards. Andreas Pabst emphasizes that the existing digital solutions are to be consistently further developed, with the aim of also participating more strongly in the profitability of the operators, as the business is considered to be comparatively resilient.

In the product and innovation portfolio, management does not see a single "game changer," but rather a chain of effects. New systems and chemicals are intended to shorten washing times, reduce waiting times for end customers, and thus increase operator utilization – while maintaining or improving results. Particular emphasis is placed on "MagicCare," a protective chemical that is designed to create a long-lasting beading effect and provides visible added value in everyday use. From a financial perspective, Pabst links these innovations to specific targets. WashTec is aiming for average annual sales growth of around 5% as part of its expanded offering and plans to gradually increase profitability, including a plan to significantly improve margins by 2027.

The third component is operational efficiency, which, according to management, is to be achieved without compromising quality or service. Pabst points to the advantage of fully digitally networked machines. Maintenance can be carried out more proactively and, in some cases, remotely. In addition, water and chemical consumption can be made transparent and optimized for each program, with cost and sustainability benefits for operators. Drolshagen adds that WashTec has prioritized a bundle of cost and innovation programs for 2026 and sees artificial intelligence as an accelerator for internal processes. As an example, he cites a "Scope Configurator" that is intended to standardize sales, product bundling, and supply chain transfers. The Company aims to reduce the turnaround time for creating customer-specific solutions by 20% to 30% over the next two to three years. This will be flanked by a business model that, according to the CEO, will gain additional robustness through stable key account relationships (around 40%) and long-term contracts, as well as a tiered product range from entry-level systems to high-end solutions.

BioNTech ends CureVac stock market story

CureVac's stock market chapter will come to an end this month. Shortly before Christmas, BioNTech announced the completion of its acquisition of its mRNA competitor. It now holds around 86.75% of CureVac shares. The Mainz-based company expects the mandatory acquisition of the remaining CureVac shares to be completed in January 2026 as part of the previously announced post-offer reorganization. After that, CureVac shares will no longer be admitted to trading.

BioNTech frames the transaction as a strategic strengthening and complementing of its own mRNA platform, particularly in the areas of mRNA design, delivery formulations, and mRNA manufacturing. At the same time, the Company is integrating the acquisition into its oncology strategy, which focuses on two pan-tumor areas. The mRNA-based cancer immunotherapy candidates and Pumitamig, a bispecific antibody candidate against PD-L1 and VEGF-A, are being developed jointly with Bristol Myers Squibb. Operationally, CureVac will initially continue to work along existing processes while BioNTech completes its strategic, operational, and scientific analyses of the future organizational and portfolio structure.

DroneShield: Strong start to the year

DroneShield's stock has had a strong start to the new year. The share price has already risen by more than 23% in 2026. Two new orders from the military sector shortly before the turn of the year provided tailwinds, even though these were relatively small orders on a group scale. On December 24, 2025, the Company announced a single order worth USD 6.2 million for a military end customer in the Asia-Pacific region. The order is for solutions that also include selected third-party hardware but are interoperable with the DroneSentry-C2 command and control software platform. DroneShield expects delivery and payment in the current year.

Just six days later, another contract was signed. A Western military end customer placed an order worth USD 8.2 million through a local reseller. According to the announcement, the order is for portable drone defense systems, including accessories, replacement kits, and software updates.
The hardware is already in stock, which means that delivery and payment could take place in Q1 2026. Of interest to investors: DroneShield emphasizes the recurring business relationships via the respective reseller structures.

The announcements underscore that DroneShield is increasingly able to implement combinations of hardware, software, and services for customers. Strategically, the Australians appear to be establishing themselves globally as a provider of AI-based platforms for protection against drones and autonomous systems.

DroneShield appears to be quickly regaining its former strength. Investors seem to have already put the issues of the fourth quarter behind them. WashTec shares are performing solidly. Operationally, the Company has a lot to offer in the future. In addition, an attractive dividend and the ongoing share buyback are appealing. The acquisition of CureVac is only a marginal issue for BioNTech. Progress in the development of new drugs will be important for the performance of the share.