Corporate | 9 June 2016 16:22

INDUS confirms 2016 targets

DGAP-News: INDUS Holding AG / Key word(s): AGM/EGM

2016-06-09 / 16:22
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

INDUS confirms 2016 targets

– Annual Shareholders’ Meeting endorses EUR 1.20 dividend
– Significant pick-up in business performance following slow start to the year
– Investments of more than EUR 125 million envisaged for 2016

Bergisch Gladbach, 9 June 2016 – Speaking at this year’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, INDUS CEO Jürgen Abromeit looked back on a successful financial year 2015: “With sales coming in clearly above EUR 1.3 billion, our Group has marked a new sales record while also posting the highest EBIT ever at EUR 136 million. This result exceeds our expectations despite the extraordinary charges taken during the year. Problems in ramping up production, currency turbulence in Switzerland and the Russia crisis have all made an impact. Without these effects, our performance would have been even better.”

In particular, Mr Abromeit highlighted the success of the growth programme launched at the end of 2012. “Since the launch of our Compass 2020 programme, our sales have risen by 26 percent and our operating profit has even gone up by 29 percent. Our portfolio gained substantial value and our market cap has more than doubled.”

Guidance 2016 confirmed
Moving forward to the current financial year, Mr Abromeit pointed to the palpable feeling of uncertainty in the markets while at the same time confirming management’s guidance for the financial year 2016: “Despite a slow start in January, we are confident that we will reach our targets, seeing that we already picked up considerable momentum in February and March. As a result, INDUS grew sales by 1.5 percent to EUR 332.8 million in the first quarter of 2016. Our operating result came to EUR 30.5 million in the first quarter, which was still down year-on-year. April went well and the initial numbers for May look encouraging, meaning that we are now up in year-on-year terms again”. Management expects INDUS to report sales of approximately EUR 1.4 billion and operating profit between EUR 134 million and EUR 138 million for the full year 2016.

Expanding investment in innovation and internationalisation
The Managing Board views the investment funds of up to EUR 125 million planned for 2016 primarily as an investment in future growth. On the one hand, it is planned to enable existing portfolio companies to make strategic acquisitions and build or expand their international presence. On the other hand, INDUS intends to promote innovation more intensively by providing investee companies with more funds for research and development activities.

“INDUS will push ahead the expansion of research and development activities and provide more funding. Acting as a “development bank” in the best sense of the word, we want to assist in the further development of existing product ranges and to expand our group-wide knowledge platform. At the same time, we support our portfolio companies in entering new technologies and markets. Moreover, we will step up our search for strategic acquisitions. We also focus on companies on an earlier level of development which have already established themselves successfully and, in the ideal case, already have a foothold in the international market. We look forward to supporting such companies’ development with our expertise,” Mr Abromeit said. Since the launch of the growth strategy 2013, a total of 24 transactions involving funds of EUR 150 million have been completed.

All items of the agenda approved by a vast majority of shareholders
The proposals made by the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board were approved by a vast majority of the shareholders. The meeting also ratified the actions of the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board and endorsed the dividend proposal. A dividend of EUR 1.20 per share corresponds to a total payout of EUR 29.3 million and a payout ratio of 42%. Some 52% of the voting share capital was represented at the Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting 2016 of INDUS.

Further information on the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting can be found on the INDUS website:

Investors & Analysts
http://www.indus.de/en/investor-relations/annual-shareholders-meeting.html

– Speech of Jürgen Abromeit

– Agenda, documents and voting results

Contact:
Regina Wolter
Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Phone +49 2204 4000 70
E-Mail wolter@indus.de

2016-06-09 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.

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Language:	English
Company:	INDUS Holding AG
	Kölner Straße 32
	51429 Bergisch Gladbach
	Germany
Phone:	+49 (0)2204 40 00-0
Fax:	+49 (0)2204 40 00-20
E-mail:	indus@indus.de
Internet:	www.indus.de
ISIN:	DE0006200108
WKN:	620010
Listed:	Regulated Market in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart

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