(new: share price)

FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Strong quarterly figures and a higher forecast from U.S. sporting goods manufacturer Lululemon helped pull up the shares of German competitors Adidas and Puma on Friday. Among the favorites in the Dax, Adidas gained 3.4 percent to 155.90 euros in the morning. Puma gained 4.4 percent to 46.33 euros among the top stocks in the MDax. The share price of the Lululemon Group, known primarily for its yoga apparel, had already risen sharply the previous day in after-hours U.S. trading.

Analyst Brooke Roach of Goldman Sachs said approvingly that the inflow at Lululemon continues to be encouraging in light of the economic uncertainties. She remains optimistic about the brand's growth trajectory after the quarter and believes Lululemon will steadily gain market share thanks to its strong innovation.

Adidas shares have performed well since November, when the move of then-Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden to rival Adidas was announced. So far in 2023, the gain amounts to a good 22 percent, putting them among the top ten in the Dax. They are now trying to recover from a weak performance in May.

However, one man's good is another man's sorrow, and Puma has fared much worse this year with a share price loss of more than 18 percent. This makes them one of the biggest losers in the MDax. Gulden's departure did not have a negative impact on the share price, which rose until the beginning of February. In the meantime, however, the share price has fallen back to the level of early November./ajx/tih/jha/