BAD HOMBURG (dpa-AFX) - Dialysis specialist Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) has benefited from its savings in 2023 and intends to make further progress this year. "2024 will be a year of accelerated profitable growth in which we will come closer to our ambitious medium-term margin target," said CEO Helen Giza on Tuesday at the presentation of the annual results in Bad Homburg.

According to the Group, sales in the current year should increase by a low to mid-single-digit percentage, while the operating result should increase by a mid to high ten percent compared to the previous year. However, the expected growth rates exclude currency and special effects and are based on the previous year's figures, which have also been adjusted.

Last year, the dialysis specialist, which was struggling with high costs, made progress with its reorganization. Group CEO Giza had raised the outlook several times over the course of the year, also thanks to a favorable US settlement. The Group targets have now been slightly exceeded. With turnover almost stable at 19.45 billion euros, adjusted operating profit at constant exchange rates climbed by 15.5% to 1.74 billion euros. Including all effects, however, the operating result fell, and the profit attributable to shareholders fell nominally by 26 percent to 499 million euros. Nevertheless, FMC intends to pay its shareholders a dividend of 1.19 euros per share, which is six percent higher than a year ago; analysts had expected a reduction./tav/jha/