Ad-hoc | 27 March 2002 07:31

Eckert & Ziegler AG english

Eckert & Ziegler: Profit for the year 2001 rises by about 160%. Ad-hoc-announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Eckert & Ziegler: Profit for the year 2001 rises by about 160%. Operational cash flow increases by 174%. Berlin, March 27, 2002. Eckert & Ziegler AG, a specialist in low-level radioactive radiation sources, has been able to improve all its main key figures for the fourth time in succession. According to the Group accounts, which have now been adopted and granted an unrestricted auditor’s certificate, sales rose by 40 percent to about Euro 33 million, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) by about 160 percent to Euro 5.2 million, and post-tax earnings per share by 150 percent to Euro 1.00. Operative cash flow rose by 174 percent to Euro 9.2 million. The greatest organic growth came from cancer-treatment products, where sales rose by 51 percent (to Euro 5.9 million). In the fields of Industrial Products (Euro 12.4 million, +64 percent) and Nuclear Imaging (Euro 10.4 million, + 18%), on the other hand, a small proportion of the growth was also due to acquisitions. Cardiology was able to grow particularly in the second half of the year, and its sales rose by 29 percent to a total of Euro 3.1 million. For 2002 the Management Board is once again expecting double digit growth in sales. Earnings per share will be around Euro 0.30 in the current year on account of development expenses for new molecular biology cancer medicines. This would represent a doubling of operating profits, as in 2001 an exceptional payment was received that cannot be expected to recur. The company’s medium-term growth expectations are based amongst other things on forthcoming health-fund registrations in a number of European countries (for the Oncology Division), a boost to the economy in the specialized application area of security (for the Industrial Division), and the inclusion of newer imaging processes in the reimbursement catalogs of the American health care organizations (for the Nuclear Imaging Division). The Board of Directors For further information please contact: Eckert & Ziegler AG, Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, D – 13125 Berlin http://www.ezag.com , Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 94 10 84-0, Fax -112 end of ad-hoc-announcement (c)DGAP 27.03.2002 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 565970; ISIN: DE0005659700; Index: Listed: Neuer Markt in Frankfurt; Freiverkehr in Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 270731 Mär 02