DGAP-News: GRENKELEASING AG: Consolidated Group net profit rises 24% to EUR 80.8 million - exceeds profit forecast of EUR 78 - 80 million


DGAP-News: GRENKELEASING AG / Key word(s): Final Results
GRENKELEASING AG: Consolidated Group net profit rises 24% to EUR 80.8
million - exceeds profit forecast of EUR 78 - 80 million

10.02.2016 / 06:58
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Consolidated Group net profit rises 24% to EUR 80.8 million - exceeds
profit forecast of EUR 78 - 80 million

  - 2015 Consolidated Group net profit amounts to EUR 80.8 million compared
    to EUR 65.0 million in the previous year for year-on-year growth of
    24.3%

  - Net interest income grows 21.4% to EUR 191.2 million

  - Intended Scrip Dividend - Proposed dividend of EUR 1.50 per share

  - 2016 outlook: New business growth target of 16 - 20% for the Leasing
    segment and 30 - 35% for the Factoring segment; Consolidated Group net
    profit target of EUR 93 - 98 million

Baden-Baden, February 10, 2016: Fiscal year 2015 marked another year of
continued profitable growth for the GRENKE Consolidated Group. The GRENKE
Consolidated Group achieved net profit of EUR 80.8 million, which
represents a significant 24.3% rise over the previous year (2014: EUR 65.0
million). This amount exceeded our forecast of EUR 78 - 80 million, which
was revised higher with the publication of the third quarter report.

We profited from recent high-margin new business and ongoing favourable
refinancing conditions. Interest and similar income from the financing
business increased by a total of 13.0% to EUR 239.0 million (2014: EUR
211.6 million). Declining expenses from interest on refinancing due to the
continued low interest rate environment amounted to EUR 47.8 million (2014:
EUR 54.1 million) and led to a rise in net interest income of a pleasing
21.4% to EUR 191.2 million (2014: EUR 157.5 million).

The growth in expenses for the settlement of claims and risk provision was
lower at 10.5% amounting to EUR 59.4 million (2014: EUR 53.7 million),
whereby net interest income after settlement of claims and risk provision
rose sharply by 27.0% to EUR 131.8 million (2014: EUR 103.8 million). We
were able to maintain our loss rate at the prior year's level of 1.5% by
virtue of our active risk-oriented management of our new business (2014:
1.5%).

Profit from insurance business grew 20.7% to EUR 50.8 million (2014: EUR
42.1 million). Profit from new business grew 10.1% to EUR 50.1 million
(2014: EUR 45.5 million). Taking into account the customarily volatile
gains/losses from disposals, income from operating business increased 20.3%
from EUR 192.9 million in the previous year to EUR 232.1 million.

In the course of our strategic expansion and the opening of new locations,
our number of employees was 9.7% higher than in the previous year.
Consequently, total remuneration, defined as the sum of fixed and variable
staff costs, increased 14.8% to EUR 63.2 million (2014: EUR 55.0 million).

We also recorded a 15.2% rise in selling and administrative expenses to EUR
52.7 million (2014: EUR 45.7 million). This was mainly due to a rise in IT
project costs to EUR 4.6 million (2014: EUR 2.4 million) from the expansion
and optimisation of our systems and the development of new and efficient
services like "eSignature".

Our growth in income outpaced the rise in expenses and led to a higher
operating result. Earnings before taxes saw a year-on-year increase of
25.9% to EUR 109.5 million (2014: EUR 86.9 million). Earnings per share
totalled EUR 5.43 (2014: EUR 4.41).

2015 Consolidated Group net profit amounted to EUR 80.8 million increasing
24.3% in comparison to EUR 65.0 million in the previous year

At 17.0%, the Consolidated Group's equity ratio was above the previous
year's level and above our long-term target of a minimum of 16%.

In light of the favourable development in the reporting year and our
positive outlook, the Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors will
propose a EUR 1.50 dividend per share for the 2015 fiscal year at the
Annual General Meeting on May 3, 2016. In the previous year, the Company
distributed a dividend of EUR 1.10 per share. This year, as in 2014, we
intend to offer our shareholders the option of receiving the dividend
exclusively in cash or as a combination of cash and shares in GRENKELEASING
AG.

<pre>

Key Figures GRENKE                                           2015      2014
New business GRENKE Group Leasing in EURm                 1,359.9   1,132.8
New business GRENKE Group Factoring in EURm                 324.6     208.8
Business start-up financing GRENKE Bank in EURm              19.6      11.3
Contribution margin 2 (CM2) on new business GRENKE           18.1      19.3
Group Leasing in %
Net profit GRENKE Consolidated Group in EURm                 80.8      65.0
Economic result (after tax) in EURm                           112       101
Cost / income ratio in %                                     54.0      55.7
Equity ratio in %                                            17.0      16.9
Number of new leasing contracts in units                  492,455   427,212


</pre>

The average number of employees in the GRENKE Consolidated Group in 2015
was 928 after 846 in 2014 (full-time equivalents, excluding the Board of
Directors).

"This past fiscal year marked a very successful year for GRENKE in many
respects. For one, we boosted our new business volume by 26 percent
year-on-year and reached a level of more than EUR 1.7 billion. The GRENKE
Consolidated Group also generated net profit of EUR 80.8 million. By
opening a location in Singapore, GRENKE Group made its first step into
Southeast Asia.

As one of the first providers of this service, our specialist reseller
partners in leasing have had the ability to process contracts completely
electronically since September 2015 using our innovative "eSignature"
service. Since introducing eSignature, we have already concluded over 2,200
contracts.

Using GRENKE's value-creating business model to drive our growth and the
strong momentum of our new business in leasing over the past several years,
we expect a renewed increase in net profit in fiscal year 2016. The GRENKE
Consolidated Group's net profit should be in the range of EUR 93 to 98
million", said Wolfgang Grenke, Chairman of the Board of Directors of
GRENKELEASING AG in his comments on the results and future outlook.

"Last year, we were able to solidify our position in the capital markets.
With our issue of a hybrid bond of EUR 30 million, we not only strengthened
our equity base but also expanded our broad range of refinancing
instruments.

We also intentionally expanded GRENKE Bank's activities. In addition to our
involvement in the "Mikrokreditfonds Deutschland" and our collaboration
with the "Weltsparen" portal, we made a strategic investment by acquiring
an interest in the innovative payment service "barzahlen.de".

As a growth company, we plan to strengthen GRENKE Group's financial
position and equity and consider the proposed Scrip Dividend as an
attractive opportunity for our shareholders to increase their engagement in
GRENKE" explained Jörg Eicker, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of
GRENKELEASING AG.

The GRENKELEASING AG Group's financial report for 2015 can be viewed online
at www.grenke.de - INVESTOR RELATIONS - Financial Reports - Financial
Reports 2015.

Should you have any queries, please contact:

GRENKELEASING AG
Corporate Communications / Investor Relations
Renate Hauss
Neuer Markt 2
76532 Baden-Baden, Germany
Tel.:  +49 7221 5007-204
E-mail:  investor@grenke.de
Internet:  http://www.grenke.de

The GRENKE Group

The GRENKE Group is a broadly diversified provider of IT-based services in
Small-Ticket-IT-Leasing, Factoring and Banking for small and medium-sized
companies. In addition, the GRENKE Bank offers its classic online services
also to private customers.

The GRENKE Group is independent of vendors and banks and holds a leading
market position in Europe in the field of small-ticket IT leasing for
products such as PCs, notebooks, copiers, printers, or software of
relatively low asset value. The GRENKE Group operates in 30 countries and
employs more than 1100 staff.

GRENKELEASING AG is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock
Exchange and is included in the SDAX. GRENKELEASING AG shares are listed on
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with the code GLJ, ISIN DE000A161N30.

Information on the GRENKE Group and its products is available at
http://www.grenke.de

This document is not for publication or distribution, directly or
indirectly, in or into the United States. This document does not constitute
or form part of an offer of securities or subscription rights for sale or
solicitation of an offer to purchase securities or subscription rights in
the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or in any other jurisdiction
where such offer may be restricted.  The securities and subscription rights
referred to in this document have not been, and will not be, registered
under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and
may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the account or
benefit of US persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the
Securities Act), except on the basis of an applicable exemption from
registration or in a transaction not subject to the registration
requirements of the Securities Act.  There will be no public offering of
securities and subscription rights in the United States or anywhere else,
except for Germany.


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10.02.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
service of EQS Group AG.
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   Language:    English                                                    
   Company:     GRENKELEASING AG                                           
                Neuer Markt 2                                              
                76532 Baden-Baden                                          
                Germany                                                    
   Phone:       +49 (0)7221 50 07-204                                      
   Fax:         +49 (0)7221 50 07-4218                                     
   E-mail:      investor@grenke.de                                         
   Internet:    www.grenke.de                                              
   ISIN:        DE000A161N30                                               
   WKN:         A161N3                                                     
   Indices:     SDAX                                                       
   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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436021 10.02.2016