BIRKENFELD (dpa-AFX) - The diagnostics specialist Stratec is counting on an upturn in business from the second quarter. The company announced in Birkenfeld on Thursday that business momentum is expected to be very subdued in the first quarter of the year. Subsequently, customers' order forecasts, among other things, imply a "strong upturn" in sales and earnings. At the moment, Stratec's customers can still meet the weak end customer demand for medical tests from their partly increased inventories and because many new laboratories were opened during the pandemic.

Turnover is expected to remain stable or increase slightly in 2024 after adjusting for currency effects, the statement continued. Of this, 10 to 12% is expected to remain as operating profit before interest, taxes and adjusted for special effects. In 2023, currency-adjusted turnover fell by 3.8% to just under EUR 262 million. The operating margin fell from 16.4 percent to 10.3 percent and was therefore at the lower end of Stratec management's expectations./lew/jha/