Corporate | 27 February 2007 09:42
Roth & Rau AG / Preliminary Results
Release of a Corporate-announcement, transmitted by DGAP - a company of
EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Roth & Rau reports dynamic growth for 2006
- Significant growth in sales and earnings
- Record level of incoming orders and orders on hand
- Expansion of personnel capacities
Hohenstein-Ernstthal, 27 February 2007 – Based on preliminary figures, Roth
& Rau AG achieved significant improvements in its sales and earnings in the
2006 financial year. Sales grew by 28.3 % from EUR 33,397k in the previous
year to EUR 42,853k and thus exceeded the sales target of EUR 38 million to
EUR 40 million. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose to EUR 4,510k,
equivalent to an increase of 4.7 % compared with the previous year’s figure
of EUR 4,309k. This earnings figure reflects the impact of personnel
expenses, which rose by 51 % as a result of the taking on of new personnel.
'By expanding our personnel capacities, we have laid the foundation for
further growth. It is for the same reason that we are currently also
extending our production capacities. A new location for the photovoltaic
division will be ready for use in September 2007,' commented Dr. Dietmar
Roth, CEO of Roth & Rau AG. Significant growth was also reported in the
company’s net surplus, which rose by 14.8 % to EUR 2,904k (previous year:
EUR 2,530k). This results in earnings per share of EUR 1.44.
In terms of the regional distribution of sales, the international share of
sales rose from 61.1 % in the previous year to 74.9 % in 2006. This
development is attributable to the rapid growth in the Asian photovoltaic
market. 'The rise in demand from Asia enabled us to achieve a further
significant reduction in our dependence on the German sales market,' added
Dr. Roth. In terms of the individual business segments, the photovoltaic
division accounted for 84.6 % of total sales. As in previous years, this
division therefore contributed by far the largest share of sales. This was
due in particular to the high level of demand for antireflective coating
facilities in the SiNA series. Roth & Rau is the market leader for this
type of facility and further expanded its global market share in this area
in the past year.
Order volumes showed extremely dynamic developments in the past financial
year. The company received a record level of incoming orders totalling EUR
129.1 million (previous year: EUR 37.1 million). This figure includes the
largest single order, which amounted to EUR 53 million, for the supply of
several turnkey facilities to Conergy AG in connection with the expansion
of the former Frankfurt Chip Factory in Frankfurt/Oder. Asia once again
accounted for a large share of incoming orders.
The previous major shareholder Rohwedder AG last week announced that it had
reduced its shareholding in Roth & Rau AG from 460,100 shares to 100
shares. According to Rohwedder, the shares were placed at a price close to
the market price. 'We should like to thank Rohwedder AG for having
accompanied us in the past years and for their support in the development
of our company', stated Dr. Roth. 'We are satisfied with this reallocation,
the possibility of which has been discussed on the capital markets for some
time now, and are sure that the Roth & Rau share has now become even more
attractive for investors.'
Further figures and details on the course of business in the past year can
be found in the Annual Report, which will be published on 30 March
2007.
Contact:
Haubrok Investor Relations GmbH
Simone Gorny
Kaistraße 16
40221 Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 (0) 211/30126-130
Fax: +49 (0)211/30126-172
E-Mail: s.gorny@haubrok.de
DGAP 27.02.2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Language: English
Issuer: Roth & Rau AG
Gewerbering 3 OT Wüstenbrand
09337 Hohenstein-Ernstthal Deutschland
Phone: 0372349880
Fax: 03723 498825
E-mail: silvia.roth@roth-rau.de
WWW: www.roth-rau.de
ISIN: DE000A0JCZ51
WKN: A0JCZ5
Indices:
Listed: Freiverkehr in Berlin-Bremen, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart;
Entry Standard in Frankfurt
End of News DGAP News-Service
---------------------------------------------------------------------------