EQS-News: Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA: Dräger with strong first quarter in 2026

Dräger with strong first quarter in 2026

• Order intake exceeds the high prior-year level
• Net sales growth in both divisions and almost all regions
• Earnings improved significantly

Lübeck – Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA further increased its order intake in the first quarter of 2026 thanks to good demand. At around EUR 865 million, order intake exceeded the high prior-year figure by around EUR 4 million (3 months 2025: EUR 860.8 million). Net sales rose by around EUR 26 million to around EUR 756 million (3 months 2025: EUR 730.3 million). Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased significantly to around EUR 18 million (3 months 2025: EUR 0.4 million). The EBIT margin improved to 2.4 percent (3 months 2025: 0.1 percent).

“During the first quarter of 2026, we made a good start to the new year. Thanks to high operational momentum, we significantly improved our earnings. Our order intake also shows a very positive development. This makes us optimistic about the further course of the year,” says Stefan Dräger, Chairman of the Executive Board of Drägerwerk Verwaltungs AG.

Order intake exceeds the high prior-year level
Group order intake increased by 3.4 percent (net of currency effects) in the first quarter of 2026 to EUR 864.7 million (3 months 2025: EUR 860.8 million). The main reason for this was the significant growth in Germany. In the other regions, demand increased slightly (net of currency effects).

In the medical division, order intake rose by 5.2 percent (net of currency effects) to EUR 479.9 million (3 months 2025: EUR 473.7 million). Almost all product areas grew. In addition, services made a material contribution to growth.

The safety division continued to see growth in orders. Order intake increased by 1.2 percent (net of currency effects) to EUR 384.8 million (3 months 2025: EUR 387.1 million). Higher demand for occupational health and safety equipment, gas detection and services more than offset the decline in other areas.

Net sales growth in both divisions
Group net sales rose by 6.9 percent (net of currency effects) in the first quarter of 2026 to EUR 755.9 million (3 months 2025: EUR 730.3 million). Both divisions were able to increase again after a slight decline in the prior-year quarter: Medical recorded growth of 5.4 percent (net of currency effects) to EUR 417.7 million (3 months 2025: EUR 413.1 million), while safety increased its net sales by 8.8 percent (net of currency effects) to EUR 338.2 million (3 months 2025: EUR 317.2 million). Group net sales rose significantly in the Americas region (net of currency effects). The EMEA and Germany regions also recorded a noticeable increase. Only in the APAC region were net sales below the prior-year level.

EBIT improved significantly
The gross margin increased by 0.5 percentage points to 46.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (3 months 2025: 45.8 percent). This is due to the margin improvement in the medical division. Functional expenses decreased by EUR 2.7 million to around EUR 331 million (3 months 2025: EUR 333.7 million), partly due to a one-off payment for employees in Germany in accordance with collective wage agreements in the prior year.

Due to the net sales growth, the improved gross margin, and the decline in costs, our EBIT rose significantly to EUR 17.9 million (3 months 2025: EUR 0.4 million). The EBIT margin also increased significantly by 2.3 percentage points to 2.4 percent (3 months 2025: 0.1 percent). The improvement in earnings and margins was slightly more pronounced in the medical division than in the safety division.

Forecast for 2026
For the current fiscal year, Dräger continues to expect an increase in net sales of 1.0 to 5.0 percent (2.0 to 6.0 percent net of currency effects) and an EBIT margin of 5.0 to 7.5 percent.

Further information is available in the financial report at www.draeger.com.

Disclaimer
This press release contains statements on the future development of Dräger Group. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations, presumptions, and forecasts of the Executive Board as well as the information available to date. They were compiled to the best of the company’s knowledge. Dräger does not provide any warranty nor assume any responsibility for the future developments and results described above. These are dependent on a number of factors. They entail various risks and contingencies outside of the company’s influence and are based on assumptions which could prove to be incorrect. Dräger does not assume any responsibility for updating the forward-looking statements contained in this report. This does not infringe any legal stipulations on the adjustment of forecasts. Information on the financial indicators used (incl. alternative performance measures) can be found on our corporate website www.draeger.com in our Investor Relations section.