EANS-Adhoc: Mühlbauer takes stock: economy-related sales and earnings decline despite growth in the core business Cards & TECURITY® - stable dividend of EUR 1.00 per share scheduled
ad-hoc disclosure pursuant to section 15 of the WpHG transmitted by euro adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide distribution. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
17.03.2010
Roding, 17 March 2010 - Against the background of the economically difficult market environment, the internationally active Mühlbauer technology group, listed in the Prime Standard, did not achieve its ambitious goal of a stable sales and earnings development in the 2009 financial year. While the core business area Cards & TECURITY® proved extremely robust in face of economic trends, as expected - with further growth in earnings of 11.8%, to EUR 112.8 million (PY: EUR 100.9 million) - this was, however, unable to compensate for the weakness recorded as a result of the dramatic economic decline in the industry business. Thus, due to the lack of readiness to invest, sales in Semiconductor Related Products dropped to EUR 29.5 million (PY: EUR 34.9 million), while Traceability and Precision Parts & Systems had to accept a decline to EUR 5.8 million (PY: EUR 17.7 million) and EUR 12.7 million (PY: EUR 19.4 million) due to the economic slump. In view of this development, the consolidated sales proceeds posted in respect of the year under review totaled EUR 160.5 million after deductions (EUR 0.3 million). Compared with the good development of sales in the previous year (PY: EUR 172.6 million), this corresponds to a 7.0% drop.
Furthermore, the unfavorable overall economic conditions experienced in the reporting period, led to the discontinuation by the technology group of its positive earnings development of previous years. Apart from the decline in sales, the special effects in respect of the cost of sales, caused by economic trends, were thus primarily responsible for the fact that the EBIT of EUR 9.6 million in respect of the year under review lagged behind the previous year´s value by EUR 14.7 million (PY: EUR 24.3 million). These special effects largely include the lower utilization of production capacity and resultant idle costs, as well as the EUR 5.7 million higher non-cash value adjustments on inventory assets. Furthermore, higher investment-related fixed costs in production, higher product guarantees and the further rise in legal fees in connection with patent disputes had a negative effect on income. The latter have, however, been amicably settled since 15 January 2010. In Q1 2010, the company records the discontinuation of attributable legal fees of EUR 2.0 million, resulting from the settlement, with an effect on the income statement. Altogether, the EBIT developments described previously and a financial result of EUR 0.1 million, which remained unchanged year-on-year, led to a reduction of earnings before taxes to EUR 9.7 million, after EUR 24.4 million in the previous year. This corresponds to a profit margin of 6.0% (PY: 14.1%). At EUR 7.3 million, the Group´s net earnings were EUR 11.0 million lower year-on-year (PY: EUR 18.3 million), which amounts to earnings per share of EUR 0.50 (PY: EUR 1.24).
The personally liable shareholder and the Supervisory Board intend to continue the dividend policy of past years, which was characterized by continuity and reliability, and will propose the payment of an unchanged dividend of EUR 1.00 per share in respect of the year under review to the Annual General Meeting.
Cashflow from operating activities rose to EUR +30.2 million in the reporting period due to the considerably higher inflows from the disposal of short-term securities for the financing of investment and financing activities as well as the reduction of financial resources tied up in working capital. This corresponds to a EUR 8.2 million increase against the same period of the previous year (PY: EUR +22.0). Additionally, cashflow from investment activities increased, which rose by EUR -9.7 million from EUR -6.0 million to EUR -15.7 million, in the course of the rise in gross investment volume from EUR 10.4 million in 2008 by EUR 8.9 million to EUR 19.3 million. In the year under review the adjusted free cashflow totaled EUR +3.3 million after EUR +6.3 million year-on-year, while net liquidity dropped EUR 9.3 million, from EUR 35.1 million to EUR 25.8 million, largely due to the progressive internationalization of the company and the dividend payments made. At 77.9% (PY: 77.5%), the company´s equity ratio remained virtually unchanged year-on-year.
The order income achieved by the technology group in the year under review amounted to EUR 155.8 million, due to the natural volatilities occurring in connection with government projects and the economically weak industry business, thus lagging the previous year´s value (PY: EUR 189.2 million) by 17.7%. At the same time, order backlog dropped from EUR 80.8 million at the end of the previous year by 12.3%, to EUR 70.9 million to the end of the year under review.
Mühlbauer´s business model is based on a solid foundation. Its unique characteristic and the good positioning of the technology group should therefore, on principle, enable the company to increase sales and earnings on a year-on-year basis in the current financial year and to achieve further growth in the following year - irrespective of project-based fluctuations on the government-related TECURITY® market and the risk that the economy may not recover sustainedly. Furthermore, the company will continue its strategy of developing a leading position in the Cards & TECURITY® area as a system partner for worldwide ID solutions.
Contact and additional information: Investor Relations, Tilo Rosenberger, Phone: +49 (0) 9461-952-1653, Fax: +49 (0) 9461-952-8520, investor-relations@muehlbauer.de, Mühlbauer Holding AG & Co. KGaA, Josef-Mühlbauer-Platz 1, 93426 Roding, Germany, www.muehlbauer.de
end of announcement euro adhoc
Further inquiry note:
Hubert Forster
CFO
+49(0)9461-952-1141
hubert.forster@muehlbauer.de
Branche: Machine Manufacturing
ISIN: DE0006627201
WKN: 662720
Index: CDAX, Prime All Share, Technology All Share
Börsen: Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Berlin / free trade
Hamburg / free trade
Stuttgart / free trade
Düsseldorf / free trade
München / free trade