Ad-hoc | 13 November 2003 07:34

voestalpine AG english

voestalpine first half results BY 2003/2004 with clear improvement in sales and Ad-hoc-announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– voestalpine first half results BY 2003/2004 with clear improvement in sales and earnings In the 1st half of 2003/2004 business year, the voestalpine-Group could substantially increase sales and result compared to the previous period. Sales rose by 12.6%, from EUR 2,009.9 million to EUR 2,263.2 million. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) improved by 28.7%, from EUR 227.0 million to EUR 292.1 million. Thus, the EBITDA margin comes to 12.9% as compared to 11.3% in the first six months of the previous financial year. EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) increased from EUR 90.6 million to EUR 146.8 million. This corresponds to an increase by 62.0%, which means that this is the highest semi-annual result in the history of the voestalpine Group. The EBIT margin improved from 4.5% to 6.5%. EBT (result from ordinary activities) is EUR 137.5 million, which means a more than six-fold increase compared to the figure of EUR 22.5 million in the previous year. The net income for the period increased even more significantly. It increased by 628.4% from EUR 12.0 million to EUR 87.4 million. In the first half of 2002/2003, the net income for the period was partly burdened because of the depreciation of the participation in VA Technologie AG. In accordance with its course of concentrating on its core competencies, voestalpine AG sold its interest of 19.05% in VA Technologie AG to a group of Austrian investors in May of 2003. The income from the sale (sales price minus book value) was EUR 17 million. The earnings per share were EUR 2.2 in comparison to EUR 0.3 in the same period of the previous year. end of ad-hoc-announcement (c)DGAP 13.11.2003 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 093750; ISIN: AT0000937503; Index: ATX Listed: Amtlicher Handel in Wien; Freiverkehr in Berlin-Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, München, Stuttgart; London 130734 Nov 03