Bechtle Reports Two-Digit Growth in Revenue and Earnings.
- Dynamic growth:
Revenue up 13.6 per cent - Higher profitability:
EBT increases 15.5 per cent - Executive Board reinforces
forecast for 2015 as a whole
Neckarsulm, 7 August 2015 – In the second quarter of 2015, Bechtle AG significantly stepped up its growth dynamics compared to the prior quarter. In the period from April to June, revenue grew 13.6 per cent to €686.1 million. With a revenue increase of 16.4 per cent, the domestic companies were the main growth driver. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased 14.2 per cent to €26.7 million. Like the EBIT, the EBT amounted to €26.7 million, 15.5 per cent more than in the prior year. As of 30 June 2015, Bechtle had a total of 6,938 employees, 545 (8.5 per cent) more than in the prior year.
“Bechtle picked up considerably in the second quarter. In view of the excellent prior-year quarter, the revenue and earnings growth rates of both segments were remarkable. We performed very well especially in Germany”, explains Dr. Thomas Olemotz, Chairman of the Executive Board of Bechtle AG.
System House & Managed Services Segment Grows Above Average.
The IT system house & managed services segment increased its revenue 16.1 per cent to €451.5 million (prior year: €388.8 million). The performance of the domestic system houses, which achieved growth of 17.0 per cent to €407.0 million, was especially impressive. The Austrian and Swiss companies also underwent significant growth of 8.5 per cent to €44.6 million. In the second quarter of 2015, the segment EBIT went up 6.3 per cent to €13.8 million (prior year: €13.0 million). The EBIT margin of 3.1 per cent is nearly equivalent to that of the prior year.
IT-E-Commerce Especially Strong in Germany.
In the reporting period, the revenue in the IT e-commerce segment climbed 9.2 per cent to €234.5 million. The increase of the domestic e-commerce companies was especially high. They boosted their revenues by 12.6 per cent to €62.7 million. The international companies recorded fine growth of 8.0 per cent to €171.8 million. Almost all international markets of the Bechtle Group contributed to this increase. Year on year, EBIT increased 24.2 per cent to €12.9 million. The margin improved from 4.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent.
Balance Sheet Underlines Financial Stability.
As of 30 June, cash and cash equivalents including time deposits and securities amounted to a comfortable €136.3 million. Bechtle’s liquidity is still higher than the sum of its financial liabilities. The group’s net debt remains negative at €62.9 million, i.e. Bechtle is free of debt. The equity ratio improved from 54.5 per cent to 55.7 per cent. The extrapolated return on equity reached an excellent value of 13.1 per cent, as in the prior year.
Headcount Grows Moderately.
As of the reporting date 30 June 2015, the Bechtle Group had a total of 6,938 employees, including 389 trainees. This represents a year-on-year increase of 545 employees, i.e. 8.5 per cent. In July, Best Recruiters awarded the gold label as best employer of the IT industry to Bechtle for the second time in a row. In its HR work, Bechtle will continue to focus on training. The success is evident particularly from the high demand for training posts at Bechtle.
Forecast for the Year Reinforced.
Bechtle is still confident that its revenue and earnings will outperform the prior year in 2015 as a whole. “Together with the good first quarter, the excellent figures of the second quarter have carried us to the top end of the target range of our expectations for 2015. Provided that the positive economic framework conditions persist, all signs are currently indicating another record year”, says Dr. Thomas Olemotz.
Bechtle KPIs for the Second Quarte and First Half of 2015.
