BN · rank #7 · 2026-07-24
EXA
PARIS · EUR · $2.40B (USD)
The exact numbers the algorithm saw.
| Composite score Z-score blend of the factors below; drives the rank. | 0.06 |
|---|---|
| Forward revenue growth Consensus forward revenue growth. | +27.4% |
| Forward net margin Consensus forward net margin. | +1.1% |
| Net margin TTM Trailing twelve month net margin. | +0.6% |
| Margin expansion Forward minus trailing net margin (percentage points). | +0.5% |
| Forward PEG Forward P/E to growth. Below 1 is cheap for the growth. | 0.52 |
| Debt / FCF Net debt relative to free cash flow. Lower is safer. | 2.49× |
| Analyst upside Spread between the consensus 12m target and the current price. | +16.0% |
| Last EPS surprise Most recent reported EPS versus consensus. | — |
| Market cap (USD) | $2.40B |
The AI research card
Independent qualitative review of each pick before the order is placed. On the rare day the research service is unavailable, the paper book trades on the quant ranking alone and no card appears here.
Summary
Exail Technologies is a vertically integrated French defense group specializing in maritime autonomous mine countermeasure drone systems and fibre-optic gyroscope-based inertial navigation, serving ~80 countries with a €1.1 billion order book.
Rationale
EXA directly solves a documented European naval bottleneck—mine countermeasures capacity and precision navigation—with proprietary FOG technology and a record €844 million order intake in FY2025 confirming real procurement pull, not sentiment rotation, at a forward PEG of 0.52 on 27% revenue growth.
Material risks
- 1Major European navies or domestic primes (e.g. Thales, Leonardo) could absorb mine countermeasures robotics in-house as defense budgets scale, eroding Exail's sole-supplier positioning in its highest-growth segment.
- 2Net margin remains razor-thin at ~1% despite 22% EBITDA margin, meaning any cost overrun, contract delay, or export-control restriction on the defense-heavy backlog could flip the group back to net losses and compress the equity story.
AI verdict council
Each pick is reviewed independently by 3 models before any order. 3 of 3 voted to proceed.