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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: [email protected] 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 31.03.2015 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. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: [email protected] 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 339435 31.03.2015