DGAP-News: Successful 2014 Business Year: CENIT raises EBIT by 12%; dividend more than doubles to EUR 0.90, base dividend of EUR 0.50 EUR expected for 2014 and next 2 years.


DGAP-News: CENIT AG / Key word(s): Final Results
Successful 2014 Business Year: CENIT raises EBIT by 12%; dividend more
than doubles to EUR 0.90, base dividend of EUR 0.50 EUR expected for
2014 and next 2 years.

31.03.2015 / 08:00

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Stuttgart, March 31, 2015 - CENIT AG has closed out a successful 2014
business year. Despite a difficult global business climate, the software
and consulting provider achieved an on-year increase in both sales and
EBIT. Based on the Annual Report of CENIT Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart,
the Managing and Supervisory Boards will propose to the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders on May 13, 2015 that a dividend of EUR 0.90 be paid per share.

During the 2014 business year, CENIT Group achieved sales revenue of EUR
123,394 k (2013: EUR 118,921 k/3.8%). Revenue in the CENIT Consulting and
Services field totaled EUR 53,943 k, representing a slight contraction of
3.0% (2013: EUR 55,631 k). Sales saw an increase in the field of
third-party software, with a gain of 11.9% to EUR 56,251 k (2013: EUR
50,248 k). Sales of CENIT's proprietary software remained virtually
unchanged at EUR 12,728 k against EUR 12,791 k in 2013 (-0.5%).

In 2014, gross profits (operative performance less cost of materials)
amounted to EUR 75,200 k (2013: EUR 73,242 k), representing a growth of
2.7%. CENIT achieved EBITDA in the amount of EUR 11,662 k (2013: EUR 10,635
k/9.7%) and EBIT of EUR 9,328 k (2013: EUR 8,331 k/12.0%). Earnings per
share were EUR 0.76 (2013: EUR 0.70/8.6%).

Order Intake

During the 2014 business year, orders received by CENIT Group amounted to
TUR 122,552 k (2013: EUR 111,824 k). Orders in hand on December 31, 2014
totaled EUR 34,578 k (2013: EUR 36,868 k).

Asset and Financial Situation

CENIT has no liabilities in relation to credit institutions, whether
short-term or long-term. On the balance sheet date, the company's equity
capital was EUR 39,352 k (2013: EUR 35,930 k), representing an equity ratio
of 58.8% (2013: 59.5%). On the balance sheet date, bank deposits and liquid
assets totaled EUR 33,250 k (2013: EUR 26,632 k). Operative cash flow
amounted to EUR 9,401 k (2013: EUR 8,854 k). In 2014, cash flow was
influenced by dividend payment to shareholders in the total amount of EUR
2,929 k as well as investments in the amount of EUR 303 k.

Employees

On December 31, 2014 CENIT Group employed 659 staff world-wide (2013: 671).
Consolidated personnel expenditures during the reporting period were EUR
49,129 k (2013: EUR 47,728 k). CENIT currently provides training for 52
young professionals in a variety of occupations. Trainees include
informatics and economics students from the Dual University of
Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) and vocational trainees in the field of
information technology.

Dividend

The Managing and Supervisory Boards will propose to the General Meeting of
Shareholders on May 13, 2015 that a dividend in the amount of EUR 0.40 per
share be disbursed from the unappropriated profit of CENIT AG of EUR 7,562
k. Additionally, the Managing and Supervisory Boards will propose payment
of a base dividend of EUR 0.50 per share in the current year and the two
years thereafter, under the provision that the earnings situation of the
company does not change substantially; a development that currently is not
to be expected. The dividend proposal for 2014 thus amounts to a total of
EUR 0.90 per share.

Outlook

An equity ratio of well over 50% places CENIT on very secure footing. This
lets CENIT act as a strong and reliable partner for its customers.

For the current business year, CENIT Group anticipates total sales growth
of up to 3% and earnings growth of approx. 5% from both business segments.

The complete 2014 Annual Report is available in German and English on the
CENIT homepage: www.cenit.com/geschaeftsbericht

About CENIT: 

CENIT has been successfully active for more than 25 years as a leading
consulting and software provider for optimizing business processes in the
fields of Digital Factory, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), SAP
Solutions, Enterprise Information Management (EIM), Business Intelligence
(BI) and Application Management Services (AMS). CENIT supplements standard
solutions from strategic partners such as DASSAULT SYSTEMES, SAP and IBM
with well-established proprietary software developments. These include the
FASTSUITE product family for software solutions in the digital factory
world, cenitCONNECT for SAP PLM-related processes, cenitSPIN as a
high-performance PLM desktop, as well as CENIT ECLISO for efficient
information management. The enterprise employs about 700 staff world-wide,
serving customers e.g. from the automotive, aerospace, mechanical
engineering, tool and mold construction, financial services, commercial and
consumer goods industries.

Please send queries to: 

CENIT AG
Investor Relations
Industriestrasse 52-54, D-70565 Stuttgart
Tel.:+497117825-3320
Fax:+49711782544-4320
Email: aktie@cenit.de

Additional Information:

This press release/ad hoc report may contain future-oriented statements
regarding the business, financial and earnings situation of, as well as
profit projections for, CENIT. Such future-oriented statements are
characterized by terms or statements such as "the company may" or "the
company will", "expects", "assumes", "is considering", "intends to",
"plans", "believes", "will continue to" and/or "estimates", as well as
similar terms and statements. Such statements contain no guarantee that the
projections will in fact be achieved. Rather, such statements involve
risks, imponderables and assumptions that are difficult to predict and, in
addition, are based on assumptions as to future events which may prove to
be incorrect. For this reason, actual events may diverge significantly from
the assumptions contained in the respective statement. In a future-oriented
statement by which CENIT expresses  expectations  or assumptions with
regard to future events, these expectations or assumptions are made in good
faith, and it shall be assumed that they are made upon an appropriate
basis; however, it cannot be guaranteed that the said statements,
expectations or assumptions shall indeed occur, or be attained or
fulfilled. The actual operative result may diverge significantly from such
future-oriented statements and is subject to certain risks. In this regard,
please refer to the Annual Report of CENIT AG.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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Language:    English                                                    
Company:     CENIT AG                                                   
             Industriestraße 52 - 54                                    
             70565 Stuttgart                                            
             Germany                                                    
Phone:       +49 (0)711 78 25 - 30                                      
Fax:         +49 (0)711 78 25 - 4000                                    
E-mail:      aktie@cenit.de                                             
Internet:    www.cenit.com                                              
ISIN:        DE0005407100                                               
WKN:         540710                                                     
Listed:      Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated  
             Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich,  
             Stuttgart                                                  
 
 
End of News    DGAP News-Service  
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