By John Revill
ZURICH (Reuters) -Siemens expects faster sales growth in the next 12 months, driven by increased focus on software and AI, including factory automation, as the German company plans to cut its stake in Siemens Healthineers.
Siemens, whose products include trains and industrial software, said it expects comparable sales to rise 6%-8% in the year to September 2026, helped by an improvement in its flagship Digital Industries division.
This would compare with the 5% revenue growth rate Siemens reported on Thursday in its results for the year to the end of September.
Siemens on Wednesday unveiled plans to reduce its 33.5 billion euro stake in Siemens Healthineers from 67% to 37% or less by transferring shares in the medical equipment maker to its own shareholders.
CEO Roland Busch said the reduction of Siemens holding in Healthineers, which makes medical imaging and diagnostics equipment, would allow the company to focus on its core areas of factory and building automation as well as its train manufacturing. Siemens floated Healthineers in 2018.
DIGITAL INDUSTRIES ORDERS RISE SHARPLY
Busch said the acquisitions of Altair and Dotmatics Siemens were expanding Siemens leadership in artificial intelligence and software.
“With our ONE Tech Company programme, we are laying the foundation for even stronger customer focus, faster innovations and higher profitable growth,” Busch said in a statement.
Orders at Digital Industries, its factory software and machinery business, rose by 29% in the fourth quarter, a sharp improvement from the 4% downturn in the April to June period.
This was supported by several large contracts for electronic design automation and product lifecycle software, which helps companies manage everything about a product – from its initial concept and design to manufacturing, service and eventual retirement – by centralising data and workflows.
In the fourth quarter of its 2025 fiscal year, Siemens sales rose 6% on a comparable basis to 21.43 billion euros ($24.99 billion), in line with forecasts.
Industrial profit rose 2% to 3.19 billion euros ($3.72 billion), short of forecasts for 3.32 billion euros in a company-gathered consensus.
Siemens shares were indicated 1.6% lower in premarket activity.
The sales outlook includes Healthineers, which is unlikely to be deconsolidated immediately, with approval needed from both companies’ shareholders.
($1 = 0.8575 euros)
(Reporting by John Revill, Editing by Mark Potter and Jane Merriman)
