BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Scout24 intends to significantly increase its dividend after a strong year in 2023. The profit distribution to shareholders is to rise by a fifth to EUR 1.20 per share, the MDax-listed company announced on Thursday when presenting its annual report. However, experts had expected a somewhat higher increase.

As has been known since the end of February, the turnover of the operator of the real estate platform Immoscout24 increased by almost 14 percent to a good 509 million euros. Profit climbed by 45 percent to just under EUR 179 million. At the end of February, the Group had put investors on course for slower growth in 2024. However, profitability is expected to increase slightly.

Group CEO Tobias Hartmann and CFO Dirk Schmelzer want to increase the margin slightly to around 61% on the basis of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) adjusted for special effects. In the past year, the margin scratched the 60 percent mark. The figure is set to rise to 63% by 2026, while earnings are expected to increase annually in the high single-digit to low double-digit percentage range./zb/jha/