FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - The shares of Daimler Truck reacted to the quarterly publication of the commercial vehicle manufacturer with significant price losses on Friday. At the opening they sank by more than 7 percent to their lowest level since the end of February. The Stuttgart-based company's shares closed 5.1 percent lower at 40.40 euros, after having risen significantly in pre-bubble trading. Statements on the difficult development in Europe led to caution among investors. In the year to date, however, the shares are still in a very good position with a price increase of almost 19 percent.

The Stuttgart-based company's turnover was slightly above the previous year's figure and the operating result increased unexpectedly by 4 percent. Profitability in the industrial business - i.e. excluding financial services - also developed better than forecast. The annual targets were confirmed.

The truck manufacturer had made a strong start to the year, praised analysts from JPMorgan and Jefferies in unison. However, JPMorgan expert Jose Asumendi pointed out that the headwinds in Europe were increasing. RBC analyst Nick Housden spoke of solid results overall. Daimler Truck remains his preferred stock among the truck groups due to its strong position in North America. However, the increasingly difficult business in Europe is a negative aspect./edh/men/jha/