FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - A surprisingly optimistic outlook and an announced share buyback drove the shares of Teamviewer significantly on Tuesday. The software provider's shares rose by almost one-fifth at their peak and were up 15.8 percent to 14.16 euros, making them the strongest stock in the MDax mid-cap index. The shares also surpassed both the 21-day and 50-day lines, which are interesting from a chart perspective, and reached their highest level since March 2022.

Despite the reluctance of some customers, Teamviewer is targeting double-digit percentage growth in sales in the new year, as the company announced on Tuesday. Reasons for confidence are provided by the good business in the fourth quarter, with which Teamviewer, as already announced, achieved its annual targets for 2022 in a final spurt. As in the previous year, management is again resorting to share buybacks in 2023. However, management does not currently have a regular dividend in mind.

Analyst Mohammed Moawalla of Goldman Sachs considers the results of the business with small and medium-sized customers to be significantly better than expected, and the large customer business has also grown strongly. He said that Teamviewer's revenue outlook was above market expectations and its operating margin was in line with experts' estimates. Moawalla was also positive about the share buyback program.

The market's earnings expectations should now rise slightly, wrote analyst Sherri Malek of Canadian bank RBC. She also sees Teamviewer as well equipped to deal with a weakening economy because the software provider's products are affordable and have really taken root in customers' structures.

JPMorgan expert Toby Ogg also saw the sales forecast as slightly above expectations, although he referred to the assumed exchange rate of 1.05 dollars per euro. Recently, the euro had mostly been worth more, which would mean headwinds in the conversion of dollar sales. Ogg also sees the margin forecast in danger, as higher investments are necessary in the face of tough competition.

However, in the view of Barclays analyst James Goodman, margins could soar dramatically in the coming years if the expensive sports sponsorship of soccer club Manchester United ends early. "When Manchester United will find a new main jersey sponsor, we don't know," Teamviewer chief executive Oliver Steil said in a conference call. Some of the money freed up would then be invested in other marketing measures, but the operating margin should nevertheless increase by several percentage points in this case, Steil said./niw/ag/men