FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - A disappointing dividend proposal only initially weighed on the shares of Eckert & Ziegler on Wednesday. The Berlin-based company intends to pay a dividend of only five cents per share due to high growth investments. The market was expecting 50 cents. Around midday, the shares gained 1.9 percent to 39.42 euros.

Analyst Alexander Galitsa from Hauck & Aufhäuser Investment Banking believes that the reduced dividend is more of a safety measure than a necessity. In his view, the strong balance sheet would actually have allowed a higher payout. With a target price of 60 euros, the expert still has high hopes for Eckert & Ziegler's share price.

The shares of the isotope specialist recovered significantly in the course of the morning from their high losses of up to 7.7 percent in early trading. Starting from the low for the day, they rose by more than ten percent at the peak./ajx/jha/