euro adhoc: Mühlbauer Holding AG & Co.KGaA
Quarterly or Semiannual
Financial Statements
Mühlbauer with significant increased
profitability in the 3rd quarter for FY 2004 significant increase
in sales and results is expected
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
Roding, November 04, 2004: Mühlbauer Technology Group, listed in the German Prime Standard, following the positive start of its current fiscal year, completed a significant increased profitability in the 3rd quarter. During the reporting period EBIT rose by 236.7% to 7.0 m EUR, compared with 2.1 m EUR in the same period last year. As a result for the first time since three years, the EBIT margin has increased to over 20% - compared with 9.1% in the previous year. In addition the high net cash position supported the positive development of the interest result and presented the global acting company an excellent EBT of 7.2 m EUR (2.3). Thus the pretax profit margin in the 3rd quarter notes with 20.9% (9.9%). After taxes, the Mühlbauer Group was able to add additionally 4.8 m EUR (1.7) into retained earnings an increase of 182.5%. This corresponds to a EPS figure of 0.33 EUR three times more than in the same period last year (0.10). During the first nine months of this year Mühlbauer increased its EBIT from 5.1 m EUR by 181.2% to 14.4 m EUR, while EPS grew by 175.0% to 0.66 EUR (0.24). Due to the positive developments of the first nine month the company is quite confident for the remainder of the year. For 2004 the group expects a significant increase in sales and results.
Furthermore, the free cashflow of the Technology Group did increase again. With +4.1 m EUR, it is close to the level of the comparable period last year (4.5), despite planned capital expenditures during the reporting period of 4.7 Mio. EUR. Supported by the further reduction of the Working Capital by 29.9% (in relation to the previous year-end of 39.6) to a new all-time low of 27.8 m EUR in the first nine months the free cashflow increased to 19.5 m EUR, 277.1% higher than in the comparable period last year (5.2).
In the 3rd quarter the worldwide acting Technology Group received additional 36.9 m EUR order income, exceeding the previous year (22.4) with 64.8%. Especially, the core business Smart Identification with 18.4 m EUR gained significantly more orders than in the previous year (7.8) up 137.7%. After high growth in previous quarters order income for Semiconductor Related Products totaled 10.2 m EUR, slightly less than in the previous year (10.8). Also within the two remaining areas order income increased significantly. While Traceability, in the reporting period added around 205.0% to 3.3 m EUR (1.1), the Precision Parts & Systems area reached a high of 84.7% to 5.0 m EUR (2.7). The strong demand for technology solutions in the first nine months raised the incoming orders higher than in any entire year previously. The comparable previous year level (73.3) was exceeded by incoming orders around 86.1% and climbed on 136.5 m EUR. Furthermore the order backlog is still on a high level. He amounts to 69.1 m EUR (31.5), that corresponds to an increase of 119.1%.
Sales increased by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter of fiscal year 2004, far exceeding the previous year's sales (23.1), rising by 11.3 m EUR to 34.4 m EUR. In Europe sales represented 67.2% (65.0%) of the business, followed by Asia with 16.6% (26.1%). In the NAFTA region and South America the sales ratio remained at 7.1%. The percentage of sales for the remaining regions, Africa and Australia, amounted to 9.1% (1.8%). In the current fiscal year, the consolidated sales exceeded the previous years by around 29.9%, totaling 90.7 m EUR (69.8).
The complete quarterly report III/2004 can be downloaded at http://www.muehlbauer.de.
For further informations please contact:: Investor Relations, Tel.: +49 (0) 9461-952-653, Fax: +49 (0) 9461-952-8520, investor-relations@muehlbauer.de, Mühlbauer Holding AG & Co. KGaA, Werner-von-Siemens-Str. 3, D-93426 Roding, www.muehlbauer.de.
end of announcement euro adhoc 04.11.2004 07:00:00
Further inquiry note:
Hubert Forster
CFO
+49(0)9461-952-141
hubert.forster@muehlbauer.de
Branche: Machine Manufacturing
ISIN: DE0006627201
WKN: 662720
Index: Nemax 50, Prime Standard, CDAX, Prime All Share, Technologie All Share
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