Czech investor František Bostl nets 200m crowns on Xerox stock

Young Czech investor František Bostl has increased the value of his stake in the American giant Xerox by almost 200 million crowns in just a few months, becoming the company's second-largest shareholder — a company that stood at the origins of the personal computer and the laser printer.

On Nasdaq, Xerox shares unexpectedly jumped 32% in a single day — to $3.49 — after the company published strong second-quarter 2026 results. For the Prague-based fund Starteepo, run by Bostl and holding 8.8 million shares of the company, that meant a gain of more than 100 million crowns in a single afternoon.

Bostl, a well-known figure on the Czech capital market, first drew international attention in May, when he announced that together with partners he had acquired 6.6 million Xerox shares at an average price of $2.16 — around 300 million crowns. At the time that amounted to 5.05% of the company and the fourth-largest stake among shareholders. Since then the fund has kept buying and now controls 6.7% of Xerox, overtaking even the trust of legendary Texas businessman Darwin Deason, historically the company's most active major owner.

“By mid-August it will become clear whether we aren't already the largest — funds disclose their positions with a delay,” Bostl told CzechCrunch with a smile. The market currently values all of Xerox at around $400 million (roughly 8 billion crowns), and it has no dominant owner: the largest shareholder, BlackRock, holds about 7%, while Starteepo holds 6.7%.

If Bostl sold the stake he has built up over the past six months today, his profit would amount to roughly 200 million crowns. He has no plans to sell, however. “We're in the position of the second-largest shareholder, and we want to discuss strategic matters with management. I don't rule out that down the road we'll push for greater representation on the company's governing bodies,” the investor says. At the end of September he plans two days of talks with Xerox management at a trade show in Las Vegas, and he recently personally presented the company to the Czech investment community during a multi-day visit to Czechia.

The quarterly results confirmed Bostl's bet on Xerox's prospects: revenue grew 22% year-on-year to $1.92 billion, and the company posted a net profit — $13 million — for the first time in a long while, compared with a loss of $106 million a year earlier. Adjusted operating profit jumped to $203 million, margin rose to 10.6%, and debt fell by $223 million.

Still, Xerox remains in the midst of restructuring, and success is not guaranteed: in recent years the company has lost more than 90% of its value and lags noticeably behind Asian rivals such as Canon. Analysts currently recommend a “hold” on the stock with a target price of $2.75 — below the current level, and by some estimates about a third of the free-floating shares are held by investors betting on a decline. Even so, František Bostl, who now devotes most of his attention to the Xerox investment, is convinced the American legend will eventually manage a turnaround.