EQS Group AG / Key word(s): Half Year Results/Change in Forecast
29.08.2014 08:30
Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS
Group AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this
announcement.
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EQS Group AG: 2nd quarter 2014 characterized by Asian expansion
Reduced outlook for the business year 2014
Munich - 29.08.2014
The EQS Group AG (ISIN: DE0005494165) advanced its Asian expansion
successfully in the second quarter. However, investments related to the
acquisition of the online investor relations and news service provider
TodayIR and a weaker domestic market led to declining revenue figures. For
the period April - June 2014, group revenue was EUR 3.988 million
representing a 9 percent decline to the first quarter of the previous year.
EBIT, according to IFRS was down by 18 percent to EUR .642 million. EQS'
Group's net profit was EUR .350 million, equaling EUR 0.29 earnings per
share.
The first half-year 2014 shows the following scenario: Revenues amount to
EUR 7.307 million, EBIT aggregates to EUR 840 and the group surplus is EUR
.384 million. The profit per share is EUR 0.32.
The drop in EBIT and net income is, just as in the first quarter, largely
due to expansion in Asia. Costs totalling EUR .600 million were accrued to
set up EQS Asia based in Hong Kong and the technology center in India, as
well as the legal, integration and consultancy costs associated with the
acquisition of TodayIR.
Furthermore, the media business involving issuers of SME bonds
(Mittelstandsanleihen) has come to a standstill. The IPO market in Germany,
comparably weak from an international viewpoint, provided no support
either. The number of delistings and downlistings again surpassed the
number of new issuers. The crisis in the Ukraine also had a negative impact
on our subsidiary in Russia.
Achim Weick, EQS's Group AG's CEO stated: "Our expansion in Asia is the
focus of our efforts. We are confident that we will achieve a leading
market position in the world's fastest-growing economic region. For the
time being, this is leading to expenditure which we cannot fully compensate
through the current operations."
Adjusted outlook
Due to the further negative market development and the absence of a
recovery in the media business with issuers of SME bonds, as well as the
impact caused by the Asian expansion, management expects revenues from EUR
15 - 16 million and an EBIT from 2 - 2,3 million for the 2014 fiscal year.
EQS Group's management will comment on the company results in today's
conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. (CET) to be transmitted live via
internet at www.eqs.com.
<pre>
Key figures (IFRS) HY1 2014 HY1 2013 + / -
Revenue (EUR million) 7.307 7.636 -4%
EBITA (EUR million) .984 1.309 -25%
EBIT (EUR million) .840 1.215 -31%
Net profit (EUR million) .384 .790 -51%
Earnings per share (EUR) 0.32 0.66 -52%
Operating Cash flow (EUR million) 1.324 1.416 -7%
Liquid assets (EUR million) 2.809 2.816 -
Employees (period average) 136 106 28%
</pre>
Further Notifications
HY figures are unaudited.
The complete half-year report can be found on www.eqs.com investor
relations section, both as interactive and download version.
You can also instantly receive free company notifications of EQS Group AG
on your mobile device. We will inform you via text messages and offer news
downloads to your smart phone. Please register in the investor relations
section at www.eqs.com.
About EQS Group
The EQS Group is a Munich-headquartered leading international provider of
online corporate communications.
Since its founding in 2000, the EQS Group has grown to be a leading global
provider of digital solutions for investor relations and corporate
communications. Its solutions and services enable over 7,000 companies
worldwide to fulfill complex domestic and international corporate
information requirements securely, timely and efficiently.
EQS Investor Relations and EQS Corporate Communications disseminate
financial and corporate news, develop corporate websites and apps, produce
online financial as well as sustainability reports, and execute audio and
video broadcasts. EQS Financial Markets & Media and ARIVA.DE (25.44%) are
active in financial marketing, data and content delivery as well as the
development of financial portals. Through its DGAP service, the EQS Group
is the institution by which companies fulfill mandatory regulatory news
dissemination requirements.
Die EQS Group is headquartered in Munich, with a further domestic office in
Hamburg. The international growth strategy has led to subsidiaries in
Zurich, Moscow, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, Taipei, and Kochi. EQS
Group currently has over 160 employees.
Contact:
Robert Wirth
EQS Group AG
SeitzstraÃe 23
D-80538 München
Tel.: +49 89 21 02 98 - 34
Fax: +49 89 21 02 98 - 49
E-Mail: robert.wirth@eqs.com
www.eqs.com
29.08.2014 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
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Language: English
Company: EQS Group AG
SeitzstraÃe 23
80538 München
Germany
Phone: +49(0)89 210298-0
Fax: +49(0)89 210298-49
E-mail: info@eqs.com
Internet: www.eqs.com
ISIN: DE0005494165
WKN: 549416
Listed: Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München (m:access),
Stuttgart; Frankfurt in Open Market (Entry Standard)
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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DGAP-News: EQS Group AG: 2nd quarter 2014 characterized by Asian expansion
| Source: EQS Group AG