15.03.2016
Highlight Communications AG CH0006539198
DGAP-News: Highlight Group closes fiscal year 2015 with very positive results
DGAP-News: Highlight Communications AG / Key word(s): Final Results
Highlight Group closes fiscal year 2015 with very positive results
15.03.2016 / 18:08
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Highlight Group closes fiscal year 2015 with very positive results
- Consolidated sales of CHF 346.1 million above expectations
- EBIT increased by CHF 2.1 million to CHF 31.1 million
- Consolidated net profit attributable to shareholders of CHF 17.5
million,corresponding to earnings per share
of CHF 0.39, at the upper end of earnings forecast
The Highlight Group's business performance in fiscal year 2015 was very
positive on the whole, although the sales situation and results of
operations were dominated by the appreciation of the Swiss franc against
the euro by approximately 12%.
Group development in fiscal year 2015
- Consolidated sales of CHF 346.1 million (previous year: CHF 412.6
million) exceeded the guidance.
- EBIT improved by 7.2% to CHF 31.1 million (previous year: CHF 29.0
million).
- The consolidated net profit for the period attributable to shareholders
increased by 4.8% to CHF 17.5 million (previous year: CHF 16.7 million)
and was thus at the upper end of profit expectations.
- The same applies to earnings per share, which increased from CHF 0.37
to CHF 0.39; earnings per share on a euro basis improved by 19.4% to
EUR 0.37 (previous year: EUR 0.31).
Development of the operating segments in 2015
The Film segment achieved excellent results in the past year. The
Constantin Film Group's distribution slate featured ten titles in the year
under review - half of them each drew an audience of more than a million
viewers in German theaters. This performance was crowned by "Fack Ju Göhte
2", which sold 7.65 million tickets and became the most seen film of the
year. The TV service production business area was expanded further at a
national and international level. The series "Shadowhunters" was the first
major production to be realized for a US broadcaster. The global SVoD
(subscription video-on-demand) rights for this production (outside the US)
were sold to the streaming platform Netflix.
External sales in the Film segment were down year-on-year at CHF 290.9
million (CHF 359.1 million) as no international in-house production was
released in theaters in the year under review and therefore there was no
income from minimum guarantees from global distribution. As a result of the
excellent results of German productions, segment earnings improved
significantly by 26.5% to CHF 17.2 million (previous year: CHF 13.6
million).
In the Sports- and Event-Marketing segment, the TEAM Group successfully
handled the marketing process for the commercial rights for the 2015/16 to
2017/18 seasons of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
The performance targets agreed with UEFA were achieved in good time,
meaning that TEAM could conclude a new agency agreement with UEFA. The new
agreement covers the marketing of the rights for the 2015/16 to 2020/21
seasons. If the TEAM Group performs appropriately in this period, the
agreement will be automatically Extended to the 2021/22 to 2023/24 seasons.
The segment's external sales of CHF 51.7 million were slightly higher than
in the previous year (CHF 49.9 million). Driven by additional project
expenses and higher segment charges, segment expenses rose from CHF 29.5
million to CHF 33.1 million, which meant that segment earnings decreased
from CHF 22.4 million to CHF 21.0 million.
In the Other Business Activities segment, the activities of Highlight Event
AG in 2015 were mainly focused on the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as
some of the TV and sponsorship contracts were up for renewal. In this
context, the important framework agreement with the European Broadcasting
Union was extended. External sales in the Other Business Activities segment
were virtually unchanged year-on-year at CHF 3.4 million (CHF 3.5 million).
The segment loss was reduced from CHF 1.9 million to CHF 1.4 million.
As announced in the ad-hoc disclosure of February 2, 2016, the Highlight
Group will concentrate on the two segments Film and Sports- and
Event-Marketing. In the framework of the reorganization and refocusing of
the Group, the company will dispose of the "Other Business Activities"
segment, which has not contributed significantly to the results of the
Group as a whole in the past, during the current fiscal year. In this
context, the investment in Highlight Event & Entertainment AG was sold in
the first quarter.
Targets for fiscal year 2016
For the current fiscal year, the Highlight Group is expecting consolidated
sales of CHF 440 million to CHF 460 million and a consolidated net profit
for the period attributable to shareholders of CHF 18 million to CHF 20
million. Key items in the theatrical slate for the current year are the
promising Steven Spielberg production "The BFG - Big Friendly Giant", the
bestseller adaptation "Girl on a Train" and the screen adaption of the TV
classic "Timm Thaler". The first movie seen by a million people in the
first quarter of 2016 was the Robert de Niro comedy "Dirty Grandpa". In the
home entertainment business area, the Highlight Group will benefit from the
new releases of the big theatrical successes "Fack Ju Göhte 2" and "Look
Who's Back".
As in the previous years, the Board of Directors of Highlight
Communications AG will propose the distribution of a dividend for fiscal
year 2015 at the Annual General Meeting. The ordinary Annual General
Meeting for fiscal year 2015 will take place at the Hotel Courtyard by
Marriott in Pratteln on June 3, 2016.
The German annual report for 2015 will be available for download at
www.highlight-communications.ch starting from today, and the English
version from March 31, 2016 at the latest.
Highlight Group at a glance Group figures according to IFRS in CHF million 2015 2014 Change in % Sales 346.1 412.6 -16.1 EBIT 31.1 29.0 7.2 Net profit for the period 17.6 18.1 -2.8 Net profit attributable to 17.5 16.7 4.8 shareholders Earnings per share (in CHF) 0.39 0.37 5.4 Segment sales Film 290.9 359.1 -19.0 Sports- and Event-Marketing 51.7 49.9 3.6 Other Business Activities 3.4 3.5 -2.9 Segment result Film 17.2 13.6 26.5 Sports- and Event-Marketing 21.0 22.4 -6.3 Other Business Activities -1.4 -1.9 26.3 in CHF million Dec. 31, 2015 Dec. 31, Change in 2014 % Balance sheet total 458.0 361.6 26.7 Equity 103.8 106.9 -2.9 Equity ratio (%) 22.7 29.6 -6.9 points Current financial liabilities 104.3 81.3 28.3 Cash and cash equivalents 106.4 44.8 137.5 For more information: Highlight Communications AG Investor Relations Netzibodenstrasse 23b 4133 Pratteln BL, Switzerland Phone: +41 (0)61 816 96 91 E-mail: [email protected]--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15.03.2016 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: Highlight Communications AG Netzibodenstrasse 23b 4133 Pratteln Switzerland Phone: +41 61 816 96 96 Fax: +41 61 816 67 67 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.hlcom.ch ISIN: CH0006539198 WKN: 920299 Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 445459 15.03.2016
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