ROUNDUP 2: Hellofresh exceeds expectations - Pinning its hopes on ready meals

BERLIN - The cooking box manufacturer Hellofresh continues to struggle with weak demand in its core business. Operating profit fell significantly in the second quarter - but not as much as experts had feared. The forecast was also confirmed. Due to the continuing decline in demand for cooking boxes, the Group intends to focus even more strongly on ready meals. The news was well received on the stock market: The shares, which have been under heavy pressure so far this year, rose significantly.

ROUNDUP: Henkel wants to achieve medium to long-term targets faster - share price up

DÜSSELDORF - The consumer goods group Henkel wants to achieve its medium and long-term targets faster than previously announced. "We are confident that we will now achieve our sales and earnings targets in the medium term," said Group CEO Carsten Knobel in a statement on Tuesday. A spokesman explained that a time horizon of two to four years was being targeted. Henkel shares rose slightly on the stock exchange.

US DIY chain Home Depot cuts sales outlook - weakening demand

ATLANTA - Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement chain, has lowered its sales forecast in light of weakening demand in the second quarter. Sales grew by 0.6 percent year-on-year to 43.2 billion US dollars (39.6 billion euros) from May to July 28, as the US group announced on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. However, this figure also includes 1.3 billion US dollars from the takeover of the craftsman specialist SRS Distribution, which had a volume of around 18 billion dollars including debt.

ROUNDUP 2: Chemicals trader Brenntag cuts profit target - share price falls

ESSEN - The chemicals trader Brenntag is cutting its profit target for the year as a whole due to price pressure and tough competition. Overall performance in the first half of the year was unsatisfactory and fell short of the company's own ambitions, said CEO Christian Kohlpaintner when presenting figures on Tuesday. The general trends and expectations in the chemical industry made the management more cautious for the rest of the year. It expects a less favorable volume development and continued price pressure, especially for industrial chemicals.

ROUNDUP: Armaments supplier Renk becomes more optimistic - shares lose ground

AUGSBURG - The armored gear manufacturer Renk continues to benefit from the armaments boom and has become more confident for the year as a whole thanks to good business in the first half of the year. In addition, the newcomer to the German stock index SDax has raised its medium-term forecast. Meanwhile, the unexpected departure of its CFO has caused some frowns.

ROUNDUP: IT service provider Cancom feels slump in demand - shares lose ground

MUNICH - IT service provider Cancom felt the effects of customer restraint in the second quarter. The fact that sales and profits nevertheless rose significantly was due to a takeover last year. Analysts had also expected higher sales and profits on average. The share price fell.

ROUNDUP: TAG Immobilien stabilizes in the first half of the year - targets confirmed

HAMBURG - TAG Immobilien almost made it back into the black in the first half of the year thanks to stable rentals and numerous sales. The MDax-listed company reported a net loss of 7.1 million euros in Hamburg on Tuesday. A year earlier, the loss amounted to 304.7 million euros. TAG confirmed its forecasts for the year. The share recently lost around two percent to 13.83 euros.

ROUNDUP: Bilfinger earns significantly more in the second quarter - share price rises

MANNHEIM - Industrial services provider Bilfinger benefited from good demand and the latest acquisition in the second quarter. "In a volatile market environment, companies are increasingly turning to outsourcing, which provides us with additional opportunities for sustained profitable growth," said CEO Thomas Schulz on Tuesday in the course of presenting the quarterly figures. The company has also successfully started the integration of the former Stork units. The company is on track to achieve its medium-term targets by 2025/2027. The company confirmed its targets for the year as a whole.

ROUNDUP: Norma struggles with weak environment in Asia and Europe - share price falls

MAINTAL - The fastening technology manufacturer and automotive supplier Norma Group continues to struggle with a sluggish economy in China and Europe. While the water management business in America provided a boost, the weak automotive industry in Europe and the economic situation in China are causing concern. Group CEO Guido Grandi saw the overall development as expected and confirmed the annual forecasts. However, the SDax-listed share fell noticeably after the start of trading.

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Further news

-ROUNDUP: VW holding company Porsche SE on the lookout for more acquisitions

-Evotec receives 75 million dollar milestone payment from Bristol Myers Squibb

-Wissing for renovation of the Hamburg-Hanover 2029 railroad line

-Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport grows slightly in July

-RWE may build two more wind farms in the North Sea

-Investment company Indus Holding earns less operationally as expected

-Switch of Füllkrug successor Beier to BVB perfect

-TAG Immobilien stabilizes in the first half of the year - Forecasts confirmed

-Specialty pharmaceutical company Medios on growth course in the first half of the year

-Mutares continues to grow and confirms forecast

-ROUNDUP: Games industry takes a breather in terms of growth

-Viessmann takes over US specialist for cold storage and clean rooms

-Consumers spend less money on computer games

-DFL/DAZN dispute: Verdict expected at the end of September

-Praise for BVB transfer offensive - Beier deal fuels confidence

-Rhine Valley replacement traffic runs better after chaos

Customer tip:

ROUNDUP: You are reading a summary in the company overview. There are several reports on this topic on the dpa-AFX news service.

/jha