FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Sartorius shares gave up some of their recent recovery gains at the start of the new year. The papers of the laboratory equipment manufacturer slipped 5.2 percent on Monday as the Dax's closing share, after they had posted a recovery of up to 13.5 percent in the days around Christmas. The shares of diagnostics group Qiagen, also listed on the Dax, also fell by three percent on the first trading day of the year.

While the new stock market year got off to an encouraging start for other beleaguered sectors such as real estate, automobiles and Internet trading, the mood in the laboratory and diagnostics sector remains subdued. In any case, the recent recovery was no more than earnings cosmetics at the end of a gloomy stock market year: in 2022, Sartorius shares had been among the weakest Dax stocks, with the expiration of the Corona special stimulus leaving deep scars.

Traders on Monday referred to statements that Sartorius plans to continue with further acquisitions in the coming years. The strategy of making an average of two acquisitions per year is to be continued, Group CEO Joachim Kreuzburg told the German Press Agency. He also expressed concern that a lack of manpower could limit future growth. However, stock market participants did not perceive the statements as a significant share price driver./tih/jha/