Corporate | 8 May 2017 07:30

QSC back in the black

DGAP-News: QSC AG / Key word(s): Quarterly / Interim Statement

08.05.2017 / 07:30
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

QSC back in the black

– QSC generates consolidated net income of EUR 0.6 million
– EBITDA rises to EUR 10.5 million despite lower revenues
– Focus on forward-looking business fields pays off
– Free cash flow improves to EUR 3.6 million

Cologne, 8 May 2017 . With consolidated net income of EUR 0.6 million, the Cloud and ICT provider QSC returned to profitability in the first quarter of 2017. With revenues of EUR 88.7 million, as against EUR 98.9 million one year earlier, this digitiser to the German SME sector improved its EBIT by EUR 2.0 million to EUR 2.6 million and EBITDA by EUR 0.8 million to EUR 10.5 million. The EBITDA margin rose by 2 percentage points to 12%. QSC benefited in particular by focusing on its forward-looking business fields of Cloud, Consulting and TC for corporate customers, as well as from its leaner cost base. Together with moderate capital expenditure, QSC’s greater earnings strength led its free cash flow to improve substantially from EUR -0.8 million in the first quarter of the previous year to EUR 3.6 million in the first quarter of 2017.

Cloud revenues surge by 117%

Compared with the previous year, Cloud revenues rose by 117% to EUR 5.2 million in the first quarter of 2017. QSC also achieved revenue growth in Consulting (+7%) and in its TC business with corporate customers (+3%). As expected, revenues fell significantly short of the previous year’s figures in traditional Outsourcing (-17%) and conventional TC business with resellers (-28%). Stricter regulation alone will reduce TC revenues with resellers by almost EUR 4 million per quarter in 2017.

QSC confirms forecast for 2017

In the quarters ahead, QSC will continue to focus on those business fields in which it expects to generate growth in future – and here above all on the Cloud segment, as well as on Consulting and its TC business with corporate customers. Overall, QSC expects to generate revenues of between EUR 355 million and EUR 365 million in the current financial year, as further reductions in revenues in the TC business with resellers and the traditional Outsourcing business are expected in the coming quarters as well. Irrespective of this development, the Company expects to generate EBITDA of between EUR 36 million and EUR 40 million and free cash flow ahead of the previous year’s figure of EUR 8.4 million.

Comments QSC’s CEO, Jürgen Hermann: “Positioning ourselves as the digitiser to the SME sector and our reorganisation are paying off. We are growing in those areas where we aim to achieve growth and thus boosting our earnings and financial strength.”

EUR million	Q1 2017	Q1 2016	Change
Revenues	88.7	98.9	-10.3%
Cloud revenues	5.2	2.4	+116.7%
Consulting revenues	10.7	10.0	+7.0%
Outsourcing revenues	26.7	32.1	-16.8%
Telecommunications revenues	46.2	54.4	-15.1%
– of which with resellers	23.2	32.0	-27.5%
– of which with corporate customers	23.0	22.4	+2.7%
EBITDA	10.5	9.7	+8.2%
EBIT	2.6	0.6	+333.3%
Consolidated net income	0.6	-0.1	n/a
Free cash flow	3.6	-0.8	n/a
Capital expenditure	4.2	3.6	+16.7%
Number of employees at 31 March	1,355	1,409	-3.8%

Notes:
The complete Quarterly Statement can be downloaded at https://www.qsc.de/en/investor-relations . This Corporate News includes forward-looking statements. These are based on current expectations and forecasts as to future events made by the management of QSC AG. Due to risks or erroneous assumptions, actual results may deviate substantially from these forward-looking statements.

Contact for enquiries:
QSC AG
Arne Thull
Head of Investor Relations
T +49 221 669-8724
F +49 221 669-8009
invest@qsc.de
www.qsc.de

08.05.2017 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:	QSC AG
	Mathias-Brüggen-Straße 55
	50829 Cologne
	Germany
Phone:	+49-221-669-8724
Fax:	+49-221-669-8009
E-mail:	invest@qsc.de
Internet:	www.qsc.de
ISIN:	DE0005137004
WKN:	513700
Listed:	Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange

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