DGAP-News: Basler AG / Key word(s): Final Results Basler AG: Basler reports business figures for 2017 - Company confirms record annual resul and expects a stable development in 2018 23.03.2018 / 06:28 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate News Business figures / annual balance sheet Basler reports business figures for 2017: Company confirms record annual result and expects a stable development in 2018 - Sales EUR 150.2 million (2016: EUR 97.5 million, +54 %) - Incoming orders EUR 153.6 million (2016: EUR 105.4 million, +46 %) - EBITDA EUR 40.0 million (2016: EUR 18.8 million, +113 %) - Pre-tax result EUR 29.8 million (2016: EUR 11.4 million, +161 %) - After-tax result EUR 21.6 million (2016: EUR 7.9 million, +173 %) - Result per share EUR 6.74 (2016: EUR 2.45, +175 %) - Free cash flow EUR 18.6 million (2016: EUR 8.1 million, +130 %) - Guidance 2018: Sales EUR 145 - 160 million, pre-tax return rate 13 - 15 % Ahrensburg, March 23, 2018 - Basler AG, the leading global manufacturer of industrial cameras, is presenting today its audited annual report 2017. In fiscal year 2017, group's sales recorded an extraordinarily strong growth of 54 % to EUR 150.2 million (previous year: EUR 97.5 million). Thus, Basler AG grew more than two times stronger than the German industry for image processing components which grew by 24 %. This is statistically recorded by the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, German Engineering Federation) and represents a key indicator for the global market development. Therefore, in the elapsed fiscal year, Basler AG again gained market shares and expanded its market leadership. The pre-tax result amounted to EUR 29.8 million (previous year: EUR 11.4 million, +161 %) and the pre-tax rate of return to 19.8 % (previous year: 11.7 %). With these results, the upper end of the guidance previously communicated by the company has been achieved. The net result per share increased from EUR 2.45 to EUR 6.74. The cash flow from operational activity amounted to EUR 28.4 million (previous year: EUR 16.1 million, +76 %). The free cash flow, calculated as the difference between the cash flows from operational activity and investments, reached a value of EUR 18.6 million (previous year: EUR 8.1 million, +130 %). With a growth of 68 new employees, the staff was considerably augmented in the fiscal year 2017. For 2018, the company plans to hire over 100 new employees, mainly at the Ahrensburg location, as well as in Asia in order to lay the foundation for further growth in the upcoming years. Against the background of a positive annual result 2017, the company will propose to this year's shareholders' meeting the distribution of a dividend of EUR 2.02 per share. This corresponds to a distribution ratio of 30 %. After the extraordinarily positive market development and the very strong growth of Basler AG in 2017 - in particular for factory applications in Asia - for fiscal year 2018 the management board currently expects a slight one-digit market growth and sales revenues for the Basler group within a corridor of EUR 145 - 160 million. On the result side, the company plans with a pre-tax return rate of 13 - 15 % depending on the sales development. Given the very high momentum in the sales markets and the limited visibility of the business development in the second half-year, the current range of the sales corridor is relatively broad. The management strives for giving a more precise corridor in the course of the fiscal year. The complete annual report is available on the website of the company (www.baslerweb.com). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basler is a leading manufacturer of high-quality digital cameras and accessories for industry, medicine, traffic and a variety of other markets. The company's product portfolio encompasses area scan and line scan cameras in compact housing dimensions, camera modules in board level variants for embedded solutions, and 3D cameras. Basler has 30 years of experience in computer vision. The company is home to approximately 500 employees at its headquarters in Ahrensburg, Germany, and its subsidiaries and sales offices in Europe, Asia, and North America. Basler AG, Hardy Mehl (CFO/COO), An der Strusbek 60 - 62, D-22926 Ahrensburg, Tel. +49 - 4102-463 101, ir/baslerweb.com, www.baslerweb.com, ISIN DE 0005102008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23.03.2018 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Basler AG An der Strusbek 60-62 22926 Ahrensburg Germany Phone: 04102-463 0 Fax: 04102-463 109 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.baslerweb.com ISIN: DE0005102008 WKN: 510200 Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Tradegate Exchange End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 667923 23.03.2018