FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - A positive analyst commentary on Friday gave Mercedes-Benz shares a further boost on their recovery course. The shares reached a high since the end of July and were still trading around 1.8 percent higher at 72.55 euros around midday. This made them one of the favorites in the DAX, in which the other car stocks also benefited with gains of up to 2.2 percent.

The British investment bank Barclays had previously raised its rating for Mercedes-Benz shares from "equal weight" to "overweight" and raised its target price from 60 to 80 euros. Analyst Henning Cosman spoke of an attractive return for shareholders, despite the share price having risen in the meantime. The Group's new dividend policy would give shareholders a much greater stake than before. Cosman therefore considers the growth in dividends - and also profits - to be attractive enough for him to put concerns about price normalization in the background./tav/jha/