The health conglomerate Fresenius can provide a more optimistic forecast for the development of its earnings in the entire year 2023, thanks to the positive development of its two operating companies Kabi and Helios. Originally, the DAX-group had suggested that the EBIT before special influences would remain approximately stable or would decrease in the mid-single digit percentage range. Now, Fresenius expects the EBIT before special influences to remain stable, adjusted for currency effects. The revenue forecast also maintains its validity, as the group's revenue is still expected to grow organically in the mid-single digit percentage range.

In the period from July to September, Fresenius was able to increase its group turnover by 6 percent in currency-adjusted terms to 5.518 billion euros. Analysts had on average expected a turnover of 5.533 billion euros. The EBIT before special effects also increased by 10 percent in currency-adjusted terms to 519 million euros, while analysts on average only assumed an EBIT of 494 million euros.

"Fresenius has had an excellent third quarter in 2023", said CEO Michael Sen. "We have made advances in all areas of our '#FutureFresenius' program, including simplifying our corporate structure, and are significantly ahead of our cost savings targets for the entire year 2023."

The process of deconsolidation of Fresenius' dialysis subsidiary Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) is in its final phase. The Higher Regional Court of Bamberg has fully granted the request for release, which Fresenius Medical Care had submitted due to lawsuits filed against the change in legal form to a public limited company. Thus, the change in legal form can be entered into the commercial register.

Fresenius expects that the deconsolidation will be completed in December, and Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA will subsequently operate as Fresenius Medical Care AG. As a result of this resolution by the extraordinary general meeting in July, the IFRS5 accounting standard will be applied. Therefore, FMC will be reported as a separate item in the Fresenius group financial statement for the first time in the third quarter. For comparison purposes, the previous year's figures have been adjusted accordingly.

At Fresenius, no decision has been made yet on whether to forego a dividend for the year 2023 due to the state energy aid received by the clinic subsidiary Helios. CEO Michael Sen emphasized again in a teleconference with journalists during the publication of the third quarter figures that the well-being of the shareholders is always at the forefront. The decision will be made carefully and the interests of all stakeholders, including the anchor shareholder Else Kröner Fresenius Foundation, will be taken into account.

He promised a timely decision and explained that the examination, including the interpretation and constitutionality of the law introducing price caps for grid-bound natural gas and heat, was underway. This provision states that hospital operators who receive more than 50 million euros in state aid are not allowed to pay bonuses and dividends for the year 2023. For Helios, the state aid already amounts to 88 million euros in the first half of the year. Some analysts have pointed out that Fresenius could instead put the retained financial resources into debt repayment. However, Fresenius pursues a progressive dividend policy, which stipulates that the dividend, in line with the currency-adjusted growth in earnings per share, is increased or at least maintained at the level of the previous year.

For the year 2022, despite a decline in profits, shareholders received an unchanged dividend of 92 cents. The Fresenius share increased by 5.84 percent to 25.72 euros in XETRA trading.