FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Weaker than expected quarterly figures weighed heavily on the preference shares of Sartorius on Thursday. The shares of the pharmaceutical and laboratory supplier fell by almost 13 percent to 287.80 euros and reached their lowest level since the beginning of December.

By late morning, Sartorius shares had lost more than eleven percent and were clearly at the bottom of the Dax. The leading German index rose moderately.

So far this year, Sartorius has lost almost 13 percent, making it the seventh weakest of the 40 DAX stocks. The shares of the French subsidiary Sartorius Stedim Biotech slumped by a good 14 percent to 212.90 euros in Paris on Thursday.

UBS analyst Matthew Weston wrote that Sartorius not only failed to meet expectations in terms of sales revenue and operating profit in the first quarter, but that the recovery in the bioprocess sector was also disappointing. At Stedim Biotech, the order intake was disappointing. According to him, only the confirmed full-year targets are a slight comforting pill, although the targets are now more difficult to meet after the weak quarter, as analyst Odysseas Manesiotis from the private bank Berenberg qualified. Moreover, a recovery is not likely to set in until the second half of the year.

"The annual forecast now seems rather aggressive, especially in terms of sales," believes DZ Bank expert Sven Kürten and sees downside potential for the market estimates. He was not surprised by the negative share price reaction. Instead, he confirmed his "sell" investment recommendation with a fair value of 230 euros.

Berenberg expert Manesiotis remains more positive about the share, but he also writes: "Since the most important key figures were weak, as was the order intake, there is still a lot to do in the coming quarters." In the conference call, the focus is therefore likely to be on management's conviction regarding a further improvement in order momentum for consumables and a recovery in equipment spending./ck/la/jha/