Bilfinger Berger recently reported a 15% increase in net profit from US$55M to US$63.5M. This was in addition to an exceptional tax-free capital gain of US$170.5M from the sale of shares in Dresdner Bank held by Bilfinger Berger. The company will use this income to reduce capital tied up in real-estate development and the building-materials business, which is suffering from continuing weakness in the construction market of Eastern Germany and the resulting pressure on prices.
