The Platform Group: Insider Vote of Confidence Meets a Cascading Crisis
15.06.2026 - 16:36:38 | boerse-global.de
When a company’s shares hit a new 52-week low and a criminal investigation is underway, most executives keep their wallets firmly shut. Dr. Dominik Benner, chief executive of The Platform Group, chose the opposite approach. On Friday 12 June, he acquired 10,133 shares at €1.88 apiece — well above that day’s closing price of roughly €1.52. The €19,050 transaction, executed off-exchange, was a deliberate signal that management sees value where the market sees risk.
The gesture has so far failed to stem the bleeding. By Monday, the stock had plunged another 21.31% to €1.20 — a fresh 52-week trough. The sell-off was ignited by a manager magazin report claiming that multiple banks had abruptly cancelled credit lines. According to the article, LBBW is demanding €6.75 million, while Sparkasse Essen is owed a further €5.1 million. The company has hit back, instructing law firm LHR to launch an urgent court action to halt further publication of the allegations. Management insists the LBBW debt has been fully repaid and that a firm repayment schedule exists with Sparkasse Essen.
The legal headache does not stop there. The Chemnitz public prosecutor’s office is examining a criminal complaint alleging forgery and fraud; several subsidiary managing directors deny having signed joint liability declarations for loans. The board denies all claims, including a suggested dispute over a contract with Aktivbank. In a past case against the same magazine, the company prevailed at the Cologne Higher Regional Court — a precedent it hopes will bolster its current defence.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying The Platform Group?
At the centre of the storm is the delayed acquisition of pharmaceutical wholesaler AEP, the group’s most critical project this year. The closing date has been pushed back to the end of June 2026. Although antitrust clearance has been secured, the equity and debt financing remain unresolved. Without the deal, the full-year guidance — net sales of €1.0 billion and adjusted EBITDA between €70 million and €80 million — looks shaky.
The first-quarter operational figures tell a more encouraging story. Revenue surged 51% to €243.1 million, while adjusted EBITDA doubled to €21.8 million. Yet the market is focused on the balance sheet. The company aims to reduce its leverage ratio to 1.0–1.4 times EBITDA by 2030, but for now the uncertainty over bank relationships and the AEP financing continues to overshadow solid trading.
Technically, the stock is deeply oversold: the relative strength index has fallen to around 20–23. Benner’s purchase may offer a floor, but the immediate catalysts lie ahead. Shareholders must register for the annual general meeting by 24 June, where management will present its updated strategy. On 25 June the group will attend a capital markets conference in Paris, followed by the AGM in Düsseldorf on 1 July. Both events represent make-or-break moments for a company trying to convince investors that its legal and financial troubles are behind it — not just the beginning of a deeper crisis.
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The Platform Group Stock: New Analysis - 15 June
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