Deutsche Boerse has reported an 18% jump in 2016 operating profit today, as its commodities and international clearing business made up for a weaker market environment.
The German exchange operator, which is planning a $27 billion merger with the London Stock Exchange, said earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose to €1.1 billion.
That was slightly ahead of consensus for €1.08 billion in a Reuters poll of analysts.
The group said it would pay shareholders a dividend of €2.35 a share for 2016. Analysts had on average expected it to raise its dividend to €2.36, from €2.25 a year earlier.
Deutsche Boerse and LSE are awaiting approval of their merger by the European Commission, which has expressed competiton concerns.
The German exchange is also under pressure as its chief executive Carsten Kengeter has become the focus of an insider trading investigation by German prosecutors.
It said its adjusted net profit rose 14% to €810.8m last year and it predicted growth of between 10-15% for 2017.
It also forecast that its net revenue will rise 5-10% this year after increasing 8% to €2.389 billion in 2016.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Boerse's CEO Carsten Kengeter said today that insider trading allegations against him would prove unfounded.
This was due to the fact that he had no role in determining the timing of his share purchases ahead of the announcement of merger plans with the London Stock Exchange, he said.
"We, Deutsche Boerse and myself, are fully cooperating with the public prosecutor. I am certain that, following detailed investigation, the allegations will turn out to be unfounded," Kengeter said at a news conference to discuss the exchange operator's annual results.
"When I purchased the shares using my own funds, I did not do so at a time of my own choosing. I did so between 1 and 21 December 2015 within a time-frame fixed by the Supervisory board," Kengeter said.
He added that the shares were subject to a holding period until the end of 2019.
Kengeter said the company was pursuing its merger with LSE and that he was engaged in a "constructive dialogue" with policymakers in Hesse, the German state where Deutsche Boerse is headquartered.
