The settlement of a legal dispute in the USA gives Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) a tailwind.

The dialysis group has raised its forecast for the current financial year and now expects an increase in operating profit of twelve to 14 percent. Previously, FMC had assumed growth in the low single-digit percentage range. This was well received on the stock market: FMC shares rose by a good two percent on Wednesday and were among the biggest gainers in the MDax second-line index.

In the USA, FMC ended a legal dispute with the US government over legally disputed claims with a settlement that earned the company a payment from the government. This has a positive effect on earnings of around 175 million euros in the fourth quarter. According to analysts at JP Morgan, this is only a one-off effect. However, as announced by the company, the cash should reduce FMC's debt and the associated interest.

FMC filed the lawsuit in 2019 to obtain payments from the US Department of Defense as part of a dialysis program for members of the armed forces, their dependents and retirees. Under the program, FMC had received less reimbursement for dialysis services prior to mid-January 2023 than it believed it was entitled to. The settlement now concludes this litigation.

(Report by Patricia Weiß, edited by Myria Mildenberger; If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets)).