<div id="readability-page-1"><div><p>[SINGAPORE] Shares of technology companies  Venture Corporation  and  CSE Global  soared after both reported positive first-quarter updates, reaching three and 19-year highs, respectively.</p><p>Shares of high-tech manufacturing and R&amp;D player Venture rose as much as 11.3 per cent on Wednesday (May 6), reaching a high of S$18.35 as at 11.45 am. </p><p>The jump made the counter Wednesday morning’s top gainer on the Straits Times Index, as it hit its highest mark since February 2023.</p><p>Systems integrator CSE’s shares went up as much as 14.7 per cent to S$1.56 as at 11.03 am, with the counter last this high in April 2007.</p><p>The gains followed both S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq notching record-high closes on Tuesday, lifted by Intel and other artificial intelligence-related stocks.</p><h2>Venture upgrade</h2><p>The rally in Venture’s stock came after its Tuesday announcement of a turnaround in its Q1 financial performance, despite headwinds such as US tariffs, geopolitical conflicts and a weak US dollar. </p><p>It posted S$56.3 million in net profit, a 0.7 per cent increase from the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter rose 1.9 per cent to S$628.5 million, attributed to heightened demand across technology domains that support AI-related infrastructure.</p><p>DBS Group Research on Wednesday upgraded the counter to “buy”, with a target price of S$21.80. It cited a “materially stronger underlying recovery” considering constant-currency revenue growth was 8.2 per cent, and said momentum was “expected to build through 2026”.</p><p>“The quarter marked an important turnaround, as Venture delivered its first year-on-year quarterly revenue and net profit growth after three years of negative year-on-year comparisons,” added the research house.</p><p>Citi analyst Arthur Pineda was less positive in his Tuesday note, stating that Venture’s pace of recovery remained “slow” and the improvements were not uniform. He pointed to a “meaningful decline” in the company’s Portfolio A, which comprises the life sciences, medtech and lifestyle consumer segments.</p><p>He stated that unfavourable Singdollar-ringgit trends throughout the rest of 2026, as forecast by Citi Economics, would continue to exert pressure when including currency fluctuations in revenue calculation.</p><p>“While the improved guidance tone is encouraging, it remains qualitative in nature with no specific revenue or earnings targets provided,” said Pineda, noting a contrast with peers such as Flex, Jabil and Celestica.</p><p>“We see the improved outlook as a positive directional signal, but await more concrete evidence of broad-based and sustained revenue acceleration before taking a more constructive view on earnings,” he added, maintaining a “neutral” rating and S$16.30 target price.</p><h2>CSE orders surge</h2><p>CSE’s share price jump came on the back of a surge in new orders, largely driven by the booming tech sector. On Tuesday, it<strong> </strong>reported 74.6 per cent year-on-year growth in new orders, securing S$271.2 million in Q1 2026 compared with S$155.3 million a year ago. </p><p>This intake was primarily driven by its electrification business segment, which skyrocketed 393 per cent year on year to S$177.8 million. The segment accounted for roughly 65.6 per cent of total order intake and was fuelled by stronger demand from the data centre market in the US. </p><p>The communications segment also performed well, logging a 20.8 per cent increase in orders to S$76.9 million. This growth was attributed to contributions from recent acquisitions that expanded the segment’s US market presence and strengthened Asia-Pacific order flows.</p></div></div>

<p>Shares of Venture Corporation and CSE Global surged over 11% following strong Q1 updates, reaching three and 19-year highs, respectively. Venture's stock rose 11.3% to S$18.35 after reporting a net profit of S$56.3 million, a 0.7% increase year-on-year. CSE's shares jumped 14.7% to S$1.56, driven by a 74.6% growth in new orders, particularly in its electrification segment. DBS Group Research upgraded Venture to 'buy' with a target price of S$21.80, while Citi maintained a 'neutral' rating, citing a slow recovery pace.</p>

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Tech counters Venture, CSE Global up over 11% after strong Q1 updates