ESSEN (dpa-AFX) - The construction group Hochtief was once again able to increase its profit last year. Net income adjusted for special effects amounted to a good 553 million euros in 2023, up 6.1 percent on the previous year, as the company announced in Essen on Thursday. Analysts had expected slightly less on average. The dividend is set to increase by 40 cents to 4.40 euros per share. A good three quarters of the shares belong to the Spanish construction group ACS.

"We see enormous opportunities for the Group and are very well positioned to exploit them," said CEO Juan Santamaría Cases. The company is achieving strong growth both in its traditional core activities and in several high-tech infrastructure markets. The Group is also winning projects in areas such as the energy transition, new mobility and digitalization.

According to the information provided, Hochtief expects an adjusted net profit of between 560 and 610 million euros in the current year thanks to a good order backlog.

Including special effects, Hochtief reported a profit of 522.7 million euros in 2023. This was 8.5 percent more than in the previous year. Turnover climbed by 5.9 percent to just under 27.8 billion euros. Adjusted for currency effects, the increase amounted to ten percent./mne/jha/