HERZOGENAURACH (dpa-AFX) - The sporting goods manufacturer Adidas intends to pay its shareholders an unchanged dividend despite posting a loss in the past financial year. The company announced in Herzogenaurach on Wednesday that the dividend for 2023 will again amount to 0.70 euros per share. In the past financial year, Adidas recorded a loss from continuing operations of 58 million euros, following a profit of 254 million euros in the previous year. The sporting goods manufacturer justified the loss with an "unusually high" tax rate. The fourth quarter was particularly weak, with a loss from continuing operations of 482 million euros due to negative effects from the devaluation of the Argentinian peso, among other things.

Adidas already presented preliminary figures for 2023 at the end of January, which have now been confirmed. Sales fell by 4.8 percent to 21.4 billion euros, stagnating after currency adjustments. The operating result fell by almost 60 percent to 268 million euros. Adidas intends to return to growth in sales and operating profit in 2024; the forecast also issued at the end of January was confirmed./nas/stk