JENA (dpa-AFX) - Technology group Jenoptik intends to pay a higher dividend to its shareholders for 2025 despite a decline in earnings. Investors are set to receive 40 cents per share, up two cents from the previous year, the company announced in Jena on Wednesday upon presenting its final annual figures. Analysts had, on average, expected a lower payout. Bottom-line profit fell by 21.2 percent to 74.2 million euros. Jenoptik had already released preliminary data in February, which the group has now confirmed. The company also refined its targets for 2026.
The stock, which recently returned to the MDax, rose 6.9 percent to 27.30 euros in early trading. This brings the share price gains since the start of the year to approximately 40 percent.
Following the declines in 2025, the company aims to return to a growth trajectory in the current year. "Despite the ongoing and difficult-to-assess macroeconomic and political uncertainties, we anticipate a noticeable recovery in demand within the semiconductor equipment sector," the Executive Board wrote in a letter to shareholders. The company also expects growth in its core markets of medical technology, metrology, and traffic technology.
Demand has already improved at the start of the year, particularly in the OEM businesses and specifically within the semiconductor equipment segment, said Executive Board member Ralf Kuschnereit according to a statement. Overall, revenue is expected to grow in the single-digit percentage range in 2026. The operating result (EBITDA) margin is projected to reach between 19 and 21 percent. Last year, the margin stood at 18.4 percent.
According to Henrik Paganetty of the research firm Jefferies, the technology company's statements align with market expectations. The projected target range for the operating margin (EBITDA) compares to a consensus estimate of 20 percent. Regarding revenue, the market expects an increase of eight percent, the expert noted.
In 2025, as previously disclosed, the operating result (EBITDA) decreased by over 13 percent to 192.5 million euros. Revenue for the Thuringia-based company shrank by over six percent to 1.05 billion euros. Order intake fell by more than three percent to just under 993 million euros. The declines were primarily linked to weaker demand from the chip and automotive industries.
Meanwhile, the company has found a successor for former CEO Stefan Traeger, who departed prematurely. Dominic Dorfner will take over as Chairman of the Executive Board by October 1 at the latest, the technology group announced on Tuesday. Dorfner joins from semiconductor manufacturer Semikron Danfoss, where he serves as CEO. In late November, Jenoptik announced that his predecessor Traeger would step down in mid-February; in the interim, former Supervisory Board Chairman Matthias Wierlacher also left Jenoptik at the end of December.
The company, which emerged from the Carl Zeiss Group and employs nearly 4,500 people worldwide, is one of the few listed technology firms in eastern Germany. Its core business includes optical systems, lasers, and metrology for industrial applications, as well as lasers and equipment for traffic monitoring./mne/niw/nas
