FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Fresenius shares failed to benefit from a raised outlook from dialysis subsidiary Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) on Wednesday and fell. FMC shares also lost ground.

Shares in hospital operator and medical technology company Fresenius lost 2.0 percent to 28.11 euros on the Dax, while FMC was down 1.0 percent to 46.54 euros on the MDax.

However, the shares of the blood laundering specialist have also performed very strongly in 2023: With a gain of just over 52 percent, they are among the five favorites in the index of 50 mid-cap stocks so far this year. Fresenius, on the other hand, has underperformed so far, with a gain of 7.2 percent. The Dax has gained 15.5 percent so far this year.

All in all, there were almost only positive comments from analysts on the figures of the two groups and also on the higher annual targets of FMC. UBS expert Graham Doyle spoke of a solid quarter that Fresenius had delivered, and FMC had performed much better than expected. According to him, Fresenius is now on track to reach the upper end of the annual targets it has set itself. At FMC, however, the new outlook is already priced into analysts' estimates, according to the industry expert. Some investors had even expected a little more, said analyst Hassan Al-Wakeel of British bank Barclays.

Fellow analyst James Vane-Tempest of Jefferies also cited the Austrian hospital service provider Vamed and its restructuring as a negative aspect for Fresenius. This is reflected in the business development, he wrote. Fresenius is currently reaching out to Vamed with a restructuring and has now written off millions for discontinuing operations, which may not be the end of the story.

Vane-Tempest is now awaiting details on Vamed's very weak margin guidance, which he said prevented a potential improvement in the group's earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) in the past quarter./ck/tav/jha/