BERGISCH-GLADBACH (dpa-AFX) - The investment company Indus Holding grew slightly in the first half of the year after restructuring its portfolio. Sales climbed two percent year-on-year to 904 million euros, the SDax-listed company announced in Bergisch-Gladbach on Thursday. Operating profit (Ebit), however, fell from 87.4 million euros in the previous year to 84.9 million euros. After tax, the Group improved its earnings by one million euros to 21.7 million euros, mainly due to the earnings contribution from discontinued operations.

"The mood in the German economy is subdued. However, our shareholdings have learned to react quickly to changes in a volatile environment," said company CEO Johannes Schmidt. For the full year, the Group is now targeting sales at the lower end of the forecast range of 1.9 billion to 2.0 billion euros. For operating profit (Ebit), the company continues to expect 145 million to 165 million euros. The corresponding margin is expected to be at the upper end of the forecast range of 7 to 8 percent.

Indus is realigning itself. The company has already signed contracts to sell Schäfer and Selzer, the remaining two holdings in the discontinued operations. Indus is thus completely divesting the automotive suppliers of the former Automotive Technology segment. The effects of the disposals, including the operating losses, were largely accounted for by the company in the first half of the year, it said./mne/zb