EANS-News: With Program 2020, Kapsch TrafficCom AG lays a solid foundation for
the future
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9-month report
* Revenue increased by 8 % in the first three quarters, EBIT grew significantly
by 82 %
* Cost savings and increased earnings are clearly discernible
* Project developments and a planned acquisition confirm the strategy
* An EBIT margin of over 10 % is expected for the full year
__________________________________________________________________________
|2015/16_Q1-Q3: 1 April-31 December 2015|2015/16 Q1-Q3|+/- % |2014/15 Q1-Q3|
|_______________________________________|_____________|______|_____________|
|Revenue_(in_million_EUR)_______________|379.2________|+8_%__|349.5________|
|EBIT_(in_million_EUR)__________________|43.3_________|+82_%_|23.7_________|
|Profit_for_the_period_(in_million_EUR)_|25.3_________|>500_%|1.0__________|
Vienna, February 24, 2016 -Kapsch TrafficCom AG (ISIN AT000KAPSCH9), listed in
the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange, demonstrated operational and
strategic progress during the first three quarters of the 2015/16 fiscal year,
and the impact and results of the forward-looking Program 2020 were clearly
visible here.
During the reporting period, the Kapsch TrafficCom Group obtained multiple new
orders in the U.S.A. (including for an end-to-end solution), Chile, Australia
and New Zealand. A city solution was put into operation in Italy, and the V2X
technology of Kapsch TrafficCom will be employed in future in the Czech capital
of Prague. In late summer, the company obtained a significant order for the
delivery and installation of the traffic management systems within the framework
of the cross-border program "CHARM" of the road authorities of the Netherlands
and Great Britain. This advanced traffic management system will be the largest
and most modern system in Europe; in this way, Kapsch TrafficCom secures for
itself a globally recognized position in traffic management systems as well. The
existing operation projects continued to represent a stable foundation during
the reporting period, and the expansion of the systems in Belarus and Poland
also contributed to revenue and earnings as expected.
Subtitle: Asset, financial and earnings situation
The revenue in the first three quarters of 2015/16 of EUR 379.2 million was 8.5
% above the previous year's value of EUR 349.5 million. The segment Road
Solution Projects (RSP) and the segment Services, System Extensions, Components
Sales (SEC) both contributed equally to the revenue growth.
The EBIT increased by 82.2 % from EUR 23.7 million to EUR 43.3 million. This
disproportionate growth is all the more impressive since the comparison value of
the previous year was significantly elevated due to one-time effects. In the
segment RSP, the new projects and in particular the successes of the "Top Fit"
project brought about a significant improvement; however, the segment EBIT
remains negative at EUR -12.9 million. In the segment SEC, the EBIT of EUR
54.6 million was 8.9 % below the value of the previous year. While the
significant increase in on-board unit sales had a positive effect, the
investment in the majority stake in the smart parking provider Streetline
weighed down the result. The EBIT margin of the Kapsch TrafficCom Group has
remained in the double digits for the last three quarters and is currently
11.4 %.
The profit for the period rose from EUR 1.0 million to EUR 25.3 million during
the reporting period, resulting in earnings per share of EUR 1.64. The free cash
flow reached EUR 74.8 million after EUR 59.4 million in the same period of the
previous fiscal year.
The balance sheet figures also reflect a continuous improvement over the first
three quarters of the fiscal year. The equity ratio increased to 45.2 %. Cash
and cash equivalents increased to EUR 138.0 million as at the end of December
and helped ensure that the Kapsch TrafficCom Group has turned net debt into a
net cash position of EUR 24.5 million.
Subtitle: Program 2020 and strategy
Under the heading of "Program 2020", Kapsch TrafficCom implemented comprehensive
measures for cost reduction and improved earnings with the project "Top Fit" in
the past fiscal year and also adapted the strategy with respect to future
developments and growth potential.
The cost savings and organizational adaptations have already contributed
significantly to operational excellence, and the savings were realized more
effectively and more quickly than originally expected. The measures implemented
will become fully apparent over the course of this fiscal year.
Within the framework of Strategy 2020, Kapsch TrafficCom has set three
priorities that are also reflected in the project developments: The first is
operational excellence, the second is the strengthening and securing of the core
business and the third is the establishment of an intelligent mobility solutions
(IMS) business.
In December, Kapsch TrafficCom also concluded an agreement to take over the
global transportation business of Schneider Electric, which encompasses
integrated advanced traffic management solutions for cities, highways and
transit solutions. This will enable Kapsch TrafficCom to offer integrated
intelligent transportation solutions from the highway into the city.
Furthermore, this will expand the group's presence in the growth markets of
Spain, Latin America, the U.S.A. and the Middle East. The acquisition should be
concluded in the coming weeks - subject to all agreed conditions.
Subtitle: Outlook
In the first three quarters of the fiscal year, Kapsch TrafficCom established a
good basis for the future. The management therefore expects that the EBIT margin
for the entire fiscal year 2015/16 will be above the 10 % mark that was set as
an initial minimum target for the core business.
From an operational perspective, Kapsch TrafficCom takes an optimistic view of
the development of the existing projects, including for the coming fiscal year
2016/17. Several invitations to tender and additional potential projects also
exist.
The activities will continue to focus on the implementation of the strategy. In
accordance with the changes in the business, the internal structures of the
Kapsch TrafficCom Group - and therefore of the group's reporting as well - have
followed a modified segmentation since the fourth quarter of the current fiscal
year. This will be reported on in detail together with the annual figures, which
will be back-calculated for purposes of comparability. In addition, Kapsch
TrafficCom is planning further strategic steps for the future.
Subtitle: Announcement
The report on the first three quarters of the fiscal year 2015/16 can be
downloaded from www.kapsch.net/ktc/investor_relations/reports/download/
Quarterly-reports/2015-16/KTC_IR_Report_FY16-Q1-Q3?lang=en-US.
Kapsch TrafficCom is a provider of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in
the segments of toll collection, city access control and parking space
management, traffic management, traffic monitoring, utility vehicle monitoring,
electronic vehicle registration and V2X cooperative systems. The end-to-end
solutions of Kapsch TrafficCom cover the entire value creation chain of its
customers, from components and design to the installation and operation of
systems, all from a single source. The core business comprises the development,
installation and operation of electronic toll collection and traffic management
systems.
Reference projects in 44 countries on all continents have made Kapsch TrafficCom
a globally recognized ITS provider. As part of the Kapsch Group, an Austrian
family-owned technology group founded in 1892, Kapsch TrafficCom is
headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has subsidiaries and branches in 33
countries. It has also been listed since 2007 on the Vienna Stock Exchange
(KTCG) and earned revenues of EUR 456 million in the 2014/15 fiscal year with
over 3,500 employees.
For more information: www.kapsch.net and www.kapschtraffic.com.
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/kapschnet.
Further inquiry note:
Press contact:
Ingrid Lawicka
Spokesperson
Kapsch AG
Am Europlatz 2, 1120 Vienna, Austria
Phone +43 50 811 1705
E-mail ingrid.lawicka@kapsch.net
Investor contact:
Marcus Handl
Investor Relations Officer
Kapsch TrafficCom AG
Am Europlatz 2, 1120 Vienna, Austria
Phone +43 50 811 1120
E-mail ir.kapschtraffic@kapsch.net
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Kapsch TrafficCom AG
Am Europlatz 2
A-1121 Wien
phone: +43 1 50811 1122
FAX: +43 1 50811 99 1122
mail: ir.kapschtraffic@kapsch.net
WWW: www.kapschtraffic.com
sector: Technology
ISIN: AT000KAPSCH9
indexes: Prime Market
stockmarkets: official market: Wien
language: English