FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Fielmann shares were among the bigger winners on the German stock market on Thursday morning. In Tradegate trading, the share price rose by 4.1 percent compared to the Xetra closing price after the optician chain had commented on the first half of the year before the Annual General Meeting. This indicates a recovery from the low since mid-April. Sales development was rated as "solid" on the sales side, with traders focusing on operating profitability.

Fielmann sees the operating margin (EBITDA) at around 21.6 per cent in the first half of the year. In the view of traders, the share should react positively to the margin outlook for the coming year, which suggests an increase and therefore signals confidence. The Group is sticking to its target of achieving an EBITDA margin of 25 percent for its European business by 2025. Including the companies acquired in the USA, the margin is expected to be around 24%./tih/jha/