Business Development 2021 – 2025

This overview may include historically adjusted values in order to ensure comparability with the reporting period.

Five-year overview – Business development

€ million

 

2021

 

2022

 

2023

 

2024

 

2025

 

Change in %

Results of operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

19,687

 

22,232

 

20,993

 

21,156

 

21,102

 

-0.3%

Operating result (EBIT)1

 

4,179

 

4,474

 

3,609

 

3,645

 

3,601

 

-1.2%

Margin (% of net sales)1

 

21.2%

 

20.1%

 

17.2%

 

17.2%

 

17.1%

 

 

EBITDA2

 

5,946

 

6,504

 

5,489

 

5,779

 

5,899

 

2.1%

Margin (% of net sales)1

 

30.2%

 

29.3%

 

26.1%

 

27.3%

 

28.0%

 

 

Adjustments1

 

157

 

345

 

390

 

293

 

210

 

-28.4%

EBITDA pre1

 

6,103

 

6,849

 

5,879

 

6,072

 

6,109

 

0.6%

Margin (% of net sales)1

 

31.0%

 

30.8%

 

28.0%

 

28.7%

 

28.9%

 

 

Profit before income tax

 

3,924

 

4,287

 

3,484

 

3,536

 

3,308

 

-6.5%

Profit after tax

 

3,065

 

3,339

 

2,834

 

2,786

 

2,615

 

-6.1%

Earnings per share (in €)

 

7.03

 

7.65

 

6.49

 

6.39

 

6.00

 

-6.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assets and liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

45,362

 

48,535

 

48,495

 

51,596

 

51,527

 

-0.1%

Non-current assets

 

34,380

 

36,334

 

36,102

 

38,146

 

38,298

 

0.4%

thereof:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill

 

17,004

 

18,389

 

17,845

 

19,107

 

17,934

 

-6.1%

Other intangible assets

 

7,612

 

7,335

 

6,551

 

6,351

 

7,662

 

20.6%

Property, plant and equipment

 

7,217

 

8,204

 

9,056

 

10,025

 

9,940

 

-0.9%

Current assets

 

10,982

 

12,201

 

12,393

 

13,450

 

13,230

 

-1.6%

thereof:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inventories

 

3,900

 

4,632

 

4,637

 

4,484

 

4,562

 

1.7%

Trade receivables and other current receivables

 

3,646

 

4,114

 

4,004

 

3,947

 

3,947

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

1,899

 

1,854

 

1,982

 

2,517

 

2,740

 

8.8%

Equity

 

21,416

 

26,005

 

26,754

 

29,989

 

28,660

 

-4.4%

Financial liabilities

 

10,801

 

10,428

 

9,941

 

10,301

 

11,968

 

16.2%

Non-current

 

8,270

 

9,200

 

9,239

 

6,997

 

10,730

 

53.4%

Current

 

2,531

 

1,228

 

702

 

3,304

 

1,238

 

-62.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquidity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payments for investments in intangible assets3

 

355

 

275

 

216

 

482

 

373

 

-22.5%

Payments for investments in property, plant and equipment3

 

1,066

 

1,531

 

1,807

 

1,702

 

1,585

 

-6.9%

Operating cash flow3

 

4,616

 

4,259

 

3,784

 

4,586

 

3,932

 

-14.3%

Net financial debt1

 

8,753

 

8,328

 

7,500

 

7,155

 

8,619

 

20.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other key data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity ratio (in %)1

 

47.2%

 

53.6%

 

55.2%

 

58.1%

 

55.6%

 

 

Research and development costs

 

2,426

 

2,521

 

2,445

 

2,279

 

2,415

 

5.9%

Dividend per share (in €)

 

1.85

 

2.20

 

2.20

 

2.20

 

2.204

 

Employees (number as of December 31)

 

60,334

 

64,232

 

62,908

 

62,557

 

62,461

 

-0.2%

1

Not defined by IFRS Accounting Standards.

2

Not defined by IFRS Accounting Standards; EBITDA corresponds to operating result (EBIT) adjusted by depreciation, amortization, impairment losses, and reversals of impairment losses.

3

According to the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement.

4

Proposal on the appropriation of profits for 2025.

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