FRANKFURT, June 13 (Reuters) – Deutsche Annington, which is
planning a flotation worth over 1 billion euros ($1.33 billion),
aims to pay out a higher proportion of its earnings as a
dividend than its peers, according to a report from Morgan
Stanley.

The management of the German residential real estate company
plans to pay out 70 percent of its recurring earnings as a
dividend from the 2014 business year onwards, Morgan Stanley
analyst Bart Gysens said in the report, dated June 10.

FRANKFURT, May 28 (Reuters) – Bilfinger shares
rose on Tuesday after the German firm said it would sell a
division that operates public-private partnerships, part of its
shift from construction-based projects to more predictable
industrial services and maintenance work.

The group’s shares rose 4 percent to 81 euros, their highest
level in almost seven weeks and topping Germany’s midcap index
after the announcement late on Monday.

LONDON/FRANKFURT, May 21 (Reuters) – Britain’s dominant
cement makers could be forced to sell off plants to tackle a
lack of competition which regulators say has cost customers
hundreds of millions of pounds.

The Competition Commission (CC) said despite low demand in
recent years, producers have managed to raise prices and
profits.

ESSEN, Germany, May 7 (Reuters) – Germany’s Hochtief AG
has agreed the 1.1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) sale
of its airports division, ending a lengthy quest for a buyer and
giving fresh impetus to a strategy rethink led by its CEO
appointed just six months ago.

The Essen-based group, controlled by Spain’s ACS
and which appointed Marcelino Fernandez Verdes as chief
executive in November, said it was raising its earnings targets
on the back of its exit from less profitable, capital-intensive
businesses.

FRANKFURT, April 17 (Reuters) – Deutsche Lufthansa
was threatened with a second round of strikes as labour union
Verdi, representing thousands of staff at the airline, rejected
as “unacceptable” an offer for wage increases from the company.

Lufthansa offered to raise salaries by 1.2 percent from
October this year and a further 0.5 percent a year later, in a
deal that would run for 29 months and would not contain job
guarantees, a spokeswoman for Verdi said on Wednesday.

FRANKFURT/LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) – German real estate
company IVG Immobilien is seeking to save the
investment fund that owns part of London’s landmark Gherkin
office block from potential liquidation, as financing banks
demand the 180 meter tower reduces its debt.

IVG, which reported an unexpected 100 million euro ($129
million) loss in 2012, burdened by its projects abroad, is
shifting a loan to finance the building from Swiss francs to
pounds in order to satisfy demands from the banks, a spokesman
said on Wednesday.

FRANKFURT, March 14 (Reuters) – Germany’s HeidelbergCement
forecast a big rise in pretax profit this year,
boosted by a deal to increase its stake in an Australian cement
venture that will help it to meet growing demand from Asia.

Shares in the company rose over 4 percent on Thursday, after
it said it had agreed to buy a 25 percent stake in Cement
Australia from Swiss rival Holcim for an undisclosed
price, giving the two firms equal 50-percent ownership.

FRANKFURT, March 14 (Reuters) – HeidelbergCement
said on Thursday it expected operating income to grow this year
due to stronger demand from North America, Asia and Africa.

The German cement company also said it would double its
stake in an Australian cement maker to 50 percent as it expects
rising demand from the region will boost profits in 2013.

MANNHEIM, Germany, March 13 (Reuters) – Germany’s Bilfinger
will look closely at a rival facility and energy
management business that Hochtief plans to sell as it
seeks to tap a growing market in making buildings more energy
efficient, Bilfinger’s chief executive said.

Bilfinger is seeking to benefit from a European Union drive
to curb carbon dioxide emissions and help build offshore
windparks, modernise and revamp power plants and cut energy use
in buildings.

FRANKFURT, March 12 (Reuters) – German airport operator
Fraport predicted zero growth in passenger numbers at
its main Frankfurt hub this year and lower net profit as a weak
economic climate prompts airlines to reduce capacity.

Fraport, whose biggest customer is German flagship carrier
Lufthansa, said on Tuesday net profit would shrink
this year from the 238 million euros ($310 million) reported for
2012.