11.11.2015
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DGAP-News: Ströer SE: Ströer continuing on its profitable course of digital growth in Q3 and significantly raising its guidance for both 2015 and 2016
DGAP-News: Ströer SE / Key word(s): Change in Forecast/Quarter Results
Ströer SE: Ströer continuing on its profitable course of digital
growth in Q3 and significantly raising its guidance for both 2015 and
2016
11.11.2015 / 09:00
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PRESS RELEASE
Ströer continuing on its profitable course of digital growth in Q3 and
significantly raising its guidance for both 2015 and 2016
- Ströer anticipating consolidated revenue of between EUR 1.1b and EUR
1.2b and operational EBITDA of between EUR 270m and EUR 280m for 2016
- Ströer expecting operational EBITDA up to EUR 200m for 2015
- 10% organic revenue growth in the third quarter 2015
- Consolidated revenue up to EUR 189.8m in Q3 2015
- Operational EBITDA climbs 44% to EUR 43.4m in Q3 2015
- Adjusted profit up two-fold in the third quarter 2015 to almost EUR
19.2m
Cologne, 11 November 2015 Ströer SE continued its dynamic, digital-driven
growth course in the third quarter of 2015 and confirmed the positive
business development of the prior quarters. On the basis of the faster than
originally expected growth in the Digital segment, Ströer is considerably
raising its guidance for 2015 and 2016: The Company is forecasting
operational EBITDA of up to EUR 200m (previously EUR 180m) for the current
fiscal year. For 2016, Ströer anticipates consolidated revenue of EUR 1.1b
to EUR 1.2b (previously EUR 1b) and operational EBITDA of between EUR 270m
and EUR 280m (previously EUR 230m to EUR 240m), with 50% of operational
EBITDA expected from the Digital segment.
Organic revenue growth was 10% in the third quarter 2015. Overall, revenue
grew to EUR 189.8m in the third quarter 2015 and to EUR 553.2m in the first
nine months. The upward trend in revenue also had a positive effect on
operational EBITDA, which climbed by 44% on the prior-year quarter to EUR
43.4m. The operational EBITDA margin also improved significantly from 17%
in the prior year to 22.5% in Q3 2015. The adjusted profit for the same
period almost doubled to EUR 19.2m. Despite strong investing activities and
game-changing acquisitions, Ströer improved its leverage ratio (net debt to
operational EBITDA) from 2.2 at the end of Q3 2014 to 1.7 thanks to its
good operating results.
The good business performance is the result of focusing on a range of
different digital business models, which the Company is pursuing further.
In the Out-of-Home Germany segment, Ströer started the digitalization of
roadside billboards in the third quarter of 2015. The roll-out of digital
pillars and billboards is starting now in key German cities such as
Cologne, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Ströer is the first company globally to
roll out a nationwide network of beacons. A total of 50,000 advertising
media at highly-frequented traffic hubs in Germany will be equipped with
iBeacon technology by the end of 2016.
"We have made Ströer a leading digital multi-channel media company in
Germany based on our cornerstones of Big Data, Digital Content and
Out-of-Home infrastructure. We are convinced that this unique combination
of our business segments will continue to generate substantial value added
for our shareholders in the future," says Udo Müller, CEO of Ströer. "We
have a strong M&A pipeline - without losing sight of our strict cost
discipline - and are focusing on transactions that directly increase value
for the Ströer Group."
In 2016, Ströer will generate 40% of its revenue in the Digital segment and
expects this number to increase to 50% in the midterm. The most recent
acquisitions highlight the focus on digitalization in all segments. Ströer
Digital Group acquired KissMyAds, a leading mobile platform for app
installments, which offers customers technical solutions to start high
performance campaigns on the mobile web. The transaction is subject to
approval from the federal cartel office. Ströer Content Group acquired
Lioncast, an e-commerce company located in the gaming sector, which
completes Ströer's gaming vertical. Through the acquisition of Lioncast
Ströer is able to maximize the monetization of its gaming reach via
advertising, downloads, subscriptions and e-commerce. Furthermore, Ströer
together with Deutsche Telekom AG and Falk Technologies has agreed to
establish a Series A venture fund for disruptive, digital business models -
subject to approval by the Federal Cartel Office.
Operating segments
Out-of-Home Germany
Revenue in the Out-of-Home Germany segment was up 4.7% in the third quarter
of 2015 to EUR 110.7m and increased by 5.6% to EUR 324.8m in the first nine
months of 2015. Operational EBITDA also developed very well and rose 37.5%
in the third quarter to EUR 28.6m. In the first nine months, the value grew
by 35.2% to EUR 78.7m. The EBITDA margin also improved significantly to
25.8%. In the first nine months, the EBITDA margin rose to 24.2%.
Digital
The Digital segment comprises the Group's entire digital operations
including online advertising, the content business of the Ströer Content
Group and the Group's public video activities. The segment constitutes a
cornerstone of the Group's corporate strategy and is a primary driver of
steady and sustainable growth within the Group. The segment's revenue grew
by 32.4% in the third quarter to total EUR 51.7m. In the first nine months
of 2015, the business grew 26.4% and reported revenue of EUR 139.9m. The
strong organic growth came to 34.8% in the third quarter and 28.3% for the
first nine months. Operational EBITDA for the Digital segment increased by
54.7% in the third quarter of 2015 to EUR 13.8m. In the first nine months,
operational EBITDA grew 61.4% to EUR 37.8m.
Out-of-Home International
The OOH International segment was shaped by a challenging market
environment. Despite the challenges, revenue remained largely stable and
stood at EUR 105.7m at the end of the first nine months. Operational EBITDA
rose by 5.2% to EUR 15.3m.
The Group's financial figures at a glance
in EUR m 9M 2015 9M 2014 Change Revenue (1) 553,2 509,3 8,6% by segment OoH Germany (2) 324,8 307,5 5,6% Ströer Digital 139,9 110,7 26,4% OoH International 105,7 105,8 -0,1% by product group Billboard (2) 232,4 230,3 0,9% Street furniture (2) 111,7 105,2 6,2% Transport (2) 40,2 38,5 4,5% Digital (3) 142,3 113,8 25,1% Other (2) 36,9 30,4 21,1% Organic growth (4) 9,1 10,9 Gross profit (5) 158,3 144,2 9,8% Operational EBITDA (6) 121,8 87,8 38,6% Operational EBITDA (6) margin 21,6 16,9 Adjusted EBIT (7) 70,4 52,6 33,7% Adjusted EBIT (7) margin 12,5 10,2 Adjusted profit or loss for the period (8) 53,0 27,2 94,7% Adjusted earning per share (9) 1,08 0,54 99,3% Profit or loss for the period (10) 25,2 4,9 > 100% Earning per share (11) 0,51 0,09 > 100% Investments (12) 50,4 25,8 95,1% Free cash flow (13) 7,4 34,1 -78,2% 30 Sep 2015 31 Dec 2014 Change Total equity and liabilities (1) 976,8 953,9 2,4% Equity (1) 293,7 320,7 -8,4% Equity ratio 30,1 33,6 Net debt (14) 304,3 275,0 10,6% Employees (15) 2.647 2.380 11,2%1) Joint ventures are consolidated at-equity - according to IFRS 11 2) Joint ventures are consolidated proportional (management approach) 3) Revenues of segment Ströer Digital and digital OoH revenues of other segments 4) Excluding exchange rate effects and effects from the (de-)consolidation and discontinuation of operations (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) 5) Revenue less cost of sales (Joint ventures are consolidated at-equity - according to IFRS 11) 6) Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization adjusted for exceptional items (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) 7) Earnings before interest and taxes adjusted for exceptional items, amortization of acquired advertising concessions and impairment losses on intangible assets (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) 8) Adjusted EBIT before non-controlling interest net of the financial result adjusted for exceptional items and the normalized tax expense (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) 9) Adjusted profit or loss for the period net of non-controlling interests divided by the number of shares outstanding (48.869.784) 10) Profit or loss for the period before non-controlling interest (Joint ventures are consolidated at-equity - according to IFRS 11) 11) Actual profit or loss for the period net of non-controlling interests divided by the number of shares outstanding (48.869.784) 12) Including cash paid for investments in property, plant and equipment and in intangible assets (Joint ventures are consolidated at-equity - according to IFRS 11) 13) Cash flows from operating activities less cash flows from investing activities (Joint ventures are consolidated at-equity - according to IFRS 11) 14) Financial liabilities less derivative financial instruments and cash (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) 15) Headcount of full and part-time employees (Joint ventures are consolidated proportional) About Ströer Ströer SE is a big digital multi-channel media company, and offers its advertising customers individualized and fully integrated premium communications solutions. In the field of digital media, Ströer is setting forward-looking standards for innovation and quality in Europe and is opening up new opportunities for targeted customer contact for its advertisers. The Ströer Group commercializes several thousand websites especially in German-speaking countries and around 300,000 advertising faces in the field of "out-of-home". The Group has approximately 2,500 employees at over 70 locations. In the full year 2014, Ströer SE generated consolidated revenue of EUR 721m. The Ströer SE is listed on the SDAX of the German Stock Exchange. For more information on the Company, please visit www.stroeer.com. Press contact Marc Sausen Ströer SE Director Corporate Communications Ströer-Allee 1 50999 Cologne Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 2236 / 96 45-246 E-mail: [email protected] Investor Relations Dafne Sanac Ströer SE Manager Investor Relations Ströer-Allee 1 . 50999 Köln Tel.: +49 2236 / 96 45 356 E-mail: [email protected] Disclaimer This press release contains "forward looking statements" regarding Ströer SE ("Ströer") or the Ströer Group, including opinions, estimates and projections regarding Ströer's or the Ströer Group's financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management and future operations. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ströer or the Ströer Group to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on numerous assumptions which may or may not prove to be correct. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Ströer with respect to the fairness, completeness, correctness, reasonableness or accuracy of any information and opinions contained herein. The information in this press release is subject to change without notice, it may be incomplete or condensed, and it may not contain all material information concerning Ströer or the Ströer Group. Ströer undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements or other information stated herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11.11.2015 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: Ströer SE Ströer Allee 1 50999 Köln Germany Phone: +49 (0)2236.96 45 0 Fax: +49 (0)2236.96 45 299 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.stroeer.de ISIN: DE0007493991 WKN: 749399 Indices: SDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------- 411513 11.11.2015 |