DGAP-News: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG: FP Group achieves

DGAP-News: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results/Quarter Results Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG: FP Group achieves double-digit growth and raises forecast 18.11.2015 / 17:43 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news FP Group achieves double-digit growth and raises forecast - Revenue rises by 11.8% to EUR 141.3 million in the first nine months of 2015 - EBITDA improves by 17.4% to EUR 20.3 million - FP expects revenue of between EUR 184 million and EUR 188 million for full-year 2015, and EBITDA of EUR 27 million to EUR 28 million Berlin, 18 November 2015. Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG, the provider of Digital Mailroom, continues its growth trajectory. In the first nine months of 2015, revenue increased to EUR 141.3 million, from EUR 126.4 million in the year-earlier period. The double-digit growth resulted in particular from the further expansion of mail services, as well as the great success of the PostBase franking system. The company also benefited in the amount of EUR 7.2 million from a positive exchange rate effect due to the weaker euro. In the third quarter of 2015, the company was able to increase revenue by 10.2% year on year to EUR 46.1 million. EBITDA was also affected by the lower euro exchange rate, with the corresponding effect amounting to EUR 3.2 million over the year to date. Overall, the FP Group could increase earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the first nine months of 2015 by 17.4% to EUR 20.3 million compared with the year-earlier period. In the third quarter of 2015, the company achieved EBITDA of EUR 6.0 million compared with EUR 5.5 million a year earlier, whereas provisions of EUR 0.6 million were made for optimisation of customer services in Germany. While EBIT for the quarter decreased by EUR 0.4 million year on year to EUR 1.8 million because of higher depreciation as planned, over the first nine months it remained stable year on year at EUR 7.9 million. Higher depreciation as a result of strong product demand, as well as a higher tax burden, were also reflected in consolidated net income in the third quarter of 2015. This came in at EUR 0.2 million compared with EUR 1.6 million a year earlier. For the first nine months, consolidated net income totalled EUR 4.2 million compared with EUR 4.5 million in the corresponding year-earlier period. FP raises revenue and EBITDA forecasts In the light of positive operative growth during the first nine months and the positive exchange rate effect, the FP Group is raising its forecast for full-year 2015. The company now expects an increase in revenue to between EUR 184 million and EUR 188 million and in EBITDA to EUR 27 million to EUR 28 million. It previously forecast revenue of between EUR 173 million and EUR 177 million and EBITDA of EUR 24 million to EUR 25 million. The FP Group expects EBIT to remain on previous year's level despite higher depreciation and a positive free cash flow for the full year. This forecast still does not include any one-time costs for the optimisation of customer services in Germany. Investment in the future At EUR 13.6 million for the first nine months of 2015, investment was only marginally below the high level of EUR 13.8 million the previous year. Roughly 60% of this was attributable to rental machines, given the high interest shown in the PostBase franking system, especially in the US and French rental markets. As a result, free cash flow remained at its year-earlier level of EUR -4.0 million after the first nine months. The end of decertification in the USA may however mean no further build-up of working capital and therefore an improvement in this figure in the current quarter. FP CEO and CFO Hans Szymanski explains: "If demand in the USA or other markets continues to exceed our expectations, we will also continue to invest. Because short-term investment in additional rental machines secures the future of the FP Group and leads to high recurring sales and high operating cash inflows." Key figures at a glance: Nine-month figures <pre> in EUR million 9M 2015 9M 2014 Change Revenue 141.3 126.4 11.8 % EBITDA 20.3 17.3 17.4 % EBIT 7.9 7.9 0.0 % Consolidated net income 4.2 4.5 -5.7 % Earnings per share (in EUR) 0.25 0.28 -8,1 % Free cash flow -4.0 -4.0 0.5 % </pre> Quarterly figures <pre> in EUR million Q3 2015 Q3 2014 Change Revenue 46.1 41.8 10.2 % EBITDA 6.0 5.5 9.7 % EBIT 1.8 2.2 -18.9 % Consolidated net income 0.2 1.6 -86.1 % Earnings per share (in EUR) 0.02 0.10 -84.2 % Free cash flow -3.4 -2.9 17.2 % </pre> More detailed information will be found on the Website of the FP-Group as from 19 November 2015 www.fp-francotyp.com. Contact Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG Investor Relations / Public Relations Sabina Prüser Tel.: +49 (0)30 220 660 410 Fax: +49 (0)30 220 660 425 E-mail: s.prueser@francotyp.com De-Mail: s.prueser@francotyp.de-mail.de About Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG The FP Group, which has its headquarters in Berlin, is a provider of Digital Mailroom. This global company offers corporate and individual clients a full range of products and solutions for communication and documentation processes. It provides not only traditional machines for franking and inserting letters but also services including business mail collection and innovative software solutions such as De-Mail. The FP Group currently operates in many industrialised countries through subsidiaries and has a global market share of more than 10% for franking machines. With a corporate history dating back more than 90 years, the FP Group is now benefiting from companies' readiness to digitalise business operations and to outsource their mail to professional service providers. In financial year 2014, the company generated revenue of EUR 170.3 million. The FP Group has about 1,000 employees worldwide. Contact: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG Media Relations Telephone: +49 (0)30 220 660 410 Telefax: +49 (0)30 220 660 425 E-Mail: pr@francotyp.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.11.2015 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG Prenzlauer Promenade 28 13089 Berlin Germany Phone: +49 (0)30 220 660 410 Fax: +49 (0)30 220 660 425 E-mail: ir@francotyp.com Internet: www.fp-francotyp.com ISIN: DE000FPH9000 WKN: FPH900 Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------- 414579 18.11.2015