Plaut Aktiengesellschaft / Preliminary Results
27.02.2008
Release of a Corporate-announcement, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Vienna, February 27, 2008 Plaut Aktiengesellschaft, which is listed on
the General Standard segment of Frankfurt Stock Exchange (PUT2; ISIN:
AT0000A02Z18; securities identification number: A0LCDP) is hereby
announcing its provisional consolidated results for fiscal 2007.
4th quarter of 2007 surpasses positive development of the previous months
The results for the 4th quarter of 2007 continued the positive trend of the
previous months. Sales were increased by 5% over the successful 3rd quarter
to 6.3 million Euro, while the EBIT margin was more than doubled from 5.4%
to 12.0%.
2007: sharp increase in sales and EBIT year-on-year
The Plaut Management & IT Consulting group and its 147 employees generated
sales of 24.1 million Euro in 2007 as a whole, an increase of around 23%
over the previous year (19.6 million Euro) almost double the growth
figure for the European consulting market.
On the basis of this increase in sales and the cost-cutting measures, EBIT
was improved more than significantly by 4.7 million Euro to 1.55 million
Euro (previous year: 3.2 million Euro). In terms of sales, this gives an
EBIT margin of 6.4% (previous year: 16.1%). The cash flow from operating
activities also improved significantly to 0.5 million Euro in 2007 compared
with the previous years figure of 6.8 million Euro. Overall, Plaut posted
consolidated income (after taxes) in fiscal 2007 of around 0.5 million
Euro. That gives undiluted/diluted earnings per share of + 0.02 Euro for
2007.
Strategic and operational objectives fully achieved in 2007
Plauts business performance is a reflection of the rigid implementation
and anticipated results of the strategic and operational measures
implemented in 2007. Mag. Johann Grafl, Speaker of the Management Board of
Plaut Aktiengesellschaft, notes that 'our foremost premise of profitable
growth is already showing clear results'. This includes the synergies from
the merger between Plaut and the acctus consulting group (Austria, Czech
Republic and Romania) at the beginning of 2007. This enabled better
leveraging of consulting resources and a far greater customer potential as
regards cross-selling. A key factor in the good annual results in 2007 was
also the organizational realignment and focus on the DACH (Germany, Austria
and Switzerland) and the CEE (Romania and the Czech Republic) regions.
A further key element for the growth in sales was optimization of our sales
activities. This was not only due to organizational expansion of our
support for existing and new customers. In addition, our strict focus on
the beverage, technical wholesale and construction material sectors, as
well as the efficient and acknowledged industry solutions for small and
medium-sized enterprises in chemicals/pharmaceuticals, medical engineering,
high tech and wholesale ensured fine order books and good utilization of
our consulting capacities.
2008: turning opportunities into successes
Even though economic activity in 2008 will be somewhat more muted, Plauts
lineup means that it can now respond to the differences in demand for
consulting in the DACH region and CEE countries. This is the concurring
view of Mag. Johann Grafl and Bernd Schweiger from Plauts Management
Board: '2007 was a year of positioning and consolidation for us; in 2008,
we will stick rigorously to this path, but also use it to expand
systematically.' The company has already done that at the start 2008, with
the operational launch of the business activities of its national
subsidiary acctus Consulting Polska. Poland is one of the strongest growing
countries in Eastern European. There are also plans to establish companies
in other countries in subsequent years, depending on economic developments.
As regards its industry and consulting focus, Plaut intends to build on
those segments that proved successful in 2007. The company is therefore
convinced that it will be able to grow sales in 2008 at least on a par with
the forecast growth for the consulting industry in Europe of 1013%. The
effects on earnings from this will help further improve and stabilize its
financial and balance sheet ratios.
About Plaut AG
The Plaut Consultancy was founded by Hans-Georg Plaut in 1946 in Hanover.
On the basis of his methods for marginal costing and contribution margin
accounting, as well as of controlling and substantiated cost management,
the consulting group Plaut has been setting standards for modern corporate
management for now 60 years. Today Plaut is focussed on the management
consulting for business planning and controlling and offers its customers a
comprehensive portfolio of Business Consulting and SAP Consulting and
IT-Services. Plaut is an internationally operating company in the so called
DACH-region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) as well as in the CEE countries
Poland, Romania and the Czechoslovakia Republic by the in 2007 acquired
acctus consulting companies. On the strength of more than 1,000
successfully completed SAP projects Plaut is recognised for over 20 years
as one of the most experienced SAP partners. Plaut Aktiengesellschaft,
Vienna, has been listed in the General Standard segment of the german
Frankfurt Stock Exchange (PUT2; SCN A0LCDP; ISIN AT0000A02Z18). >
www.plaut.de
Press and IR contact:
PM-0802 [4.288 CiS]
Plaut Aktiengesellschaft
Manager Communications, IR & Marketing
Heinz-Peter Schneider
Engelsberggasse 4A-1030 Wien
Phone: +49 (89) 96 280 -126
Fax: +49 (89) 96 280 - 339
heinz.schneider@plaut.de
www.plaut.de
DGAP 27.02.2008
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Language: English
Issuer: Plaut Aktiengesellschaft
Engelsberggasse 4
A-1030 Wien
Österreich
Phone: +43 1 2300012
Fax: +43 1 2289569
E-mail: ir@plaut.com
Internet: www.plaut.com
ISIN: AT0000A02Z18
WKN: A0LCDP
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (General Standard);
Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München,
Stuttgart
End of News DGAP News-Service
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DGAP-News: Plaut Aktiengesellschaft:Provisional results for 2007 - Successfully concluded with 23% growth
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