euro adhoc: feratel media technologies AG
Quarterly or Semiannual Financial Statements
feratel: twin-digit growth in sales in Telecommunications in the third quarter of 2002/2003, downturn in IRS in Germany, EBT clearly positive (E)
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
In the first nine months of financial 2002/2003 feratel media technologies AG, whose stocks are quoted on the Vienna Stock Exchange, turned in a creditable performance in a generally difficult operating environment. The downturn reported in sales in the third quarter, namely EUR 5.6 million after EUR 6.4 million for the same period of the previous year, was due to the extremely depressed state of the German market and a consequent decline in sales in the Information and Reservation Systems segment on the one hand, and to significant one-off income items included in the previous years figures relating to sales of the hobooBox interface and hoboo.com Internet reservation software on the other. Discounting these one-off items, an increase in sales of almost two percent was achieved in the period-to-period comparison. This increase was the result of positive developments with regard to sales in Austria. Sales were also satisfactory in Switzerland.
At approximately EUR 280,000, earnings before taxes (EBT) for the third quarter of financial 2002/03 were clearly positive, as they were in the same period of the previous year, and - discounting income from sales of hobooBox and hoboo.com - show a marked improvement. As a result of the seasonal character of the feratel business model, EBT for the first three quarters of financial 2002/2003 was negative at EUR - 1.1 million. In the Telecom segment in particular, the third and fourth quarters always account for the major share of annual earnings, whereas expenditures are distributed over the entire year. EBITDA for the first nine months of the business year came to approximately EUR 935,000.
Sales in the Telecommunications segment increased by 12 percent to EUR 5.6 million in the first nine months of 2002/2003 compared with EUR 5.0 million for the same period of the previous year. In the third quarter, the increase was no less than 20 percent. In the Information and Reservation Segment sales fell from EUR 7.2 million to EUR 5.5 million in comparison with the first three quarters of financial 2001/2002. This is a reflection of a clear downturn in Germany plus the one-off income items mentioned above in the figures for the previous year deriving from sales of hobooBox and hoboo.com software. In the Media segment an increase in sales to EUR 1.6 million after EUR 1.3 million in the first three quarters of the previous year reflects the pattern of continuous growth achieved despite the slow pace of developments in the field of content providing.
The climate of political and economic uncertainty will persist in the months ahead. Developments in the war against Iraq could have negative impacts on the travel trade and on capital spending within the tourism industry. There are no signs of an improvement with regard to the state of the German market. It is therefore difficult to make accurate predictions concerning future developments in our business. With regard to financial 2002/2003 as a whole, however, feratel can look forward to a satisfactory performance, and the goal of paying a dividend continues to apply.
~Consolidated Balance Sheet (in TEUR)
31.1.2003 30.4.2002
Assets
Non-current assets 13,736.0 13,776.6 Deferred tax assets 2,049.0 2,354.6 Non-current receivables 0.0 330.6 Current assets and prepayments 18,177.0 20,195.4
Liabilities
Shareholders´ equity 21,542.4 22,642.1 Minority interest 0.9 190.8 Long-term liabilities 1,095.9 514.6 Deferred tax liabilities 0.0 196.3 Short-term liabilities, accruals and deferred income 11,322.8 13,113.4
Balance Sheet total 33,962.0 36,657.2
Consolidated Income statement (in TEUR)
3rd Quarter 2002/2003 3rd Quarter 2001/2002
Sales 5,584.3 6,419.8 Income from operations 6,000.0 6,669.2 EBIT 382.4 910.5 EBT 283.6 957.2 EBITDA 1,064.1 1,765.6
1st-3rd Quarter 2002/2003 1st-3rd Quarter 2001/2002 Sales 12,679.2 13,420.1 Income from operations 14,244.6 14,252.0 EBIT -987.0 -1,063.4 EBT -1,094.8 -990.2 EBITDA 935.3 1,444.9
end of announcement euro adhoc 31.03.2003
Further inquiry note:
For further questions please contact: Martin Fritsch, feratel media technologies AG,
Maria-Theresien-Straße 8, A-6020 Innsbruck, Phone: +43 512 7280-0, Fax: +43 512 7280-80, E-Mail:
martin.fritsch@feratel.com
Branche: Tourism & Leisure
ISIN: AT0000737804
WKN: 073780
Index: ATX Prime, ViDX, WBI
Börsen: Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Bayerische Börse / free trade
Berliner Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Wiener Börse AG / official dealing