JENA (dpa-AFX) - The Jenoptik technology group plans to pay its shareholders a higher dividend for 2022. Investors are to receive 30 cents per share, five cents more than in the previous year, the company announced in Jena on Wednesday to present its final annual figures for 2022. The bottom line was down 31.2 percent to 63.9 million euros due to an impairment charge mainly related to a reassessment of the business prospects of the non-photonics business and higher taxes. In addition, in the previous year there had been a positive one-time effect in

in connection with the acquisitions of Trioptics and Interob.

Jenoptik had already announced preliminary key data for the past year and an outlook for the current year in February, which the Group confirmed with the final figures. Sales at the Thuringia-based company increased by a good 30 percent to around 980 million euros last year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) rose by a good 18 percent to around 184 million euros.

Jenoptik is again anticipating strong growth for the current year due to good business with the semiconductor industry. In view of the order backlog and order intake, sales are expected to increase to between 1.05 and 1.10 billion euros. Of this, 19.0 to 19.5 percent should remain as operating profit (Ebitda). In the previous year, the margin was 18.8 percent./mne/stk