Berlin, March 23, 2016. Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700), a Berlin-based company specializing in isotope technology for medical, scientific and industrial applications, reported sales of € 140.0 million in fiscal year 2015. This corresponds to an increase of € 12.8 million, or 10%, on the prior year and is largely attributable to the euro/US dollar exchange rate. Earnings per share improved by € 0.75 per share to € 2.03 per share, which includes two one-off effects. The disposal of the OctreoPharm Sciences GmbH (OPS) interest had a positive impact. Higher costs for pending disposal services weighed down on the results in Environmental Services.
The largest segment, Isotope Products, reported a € 7.4 million sales increase to € 66.9 million thanks to currency effects. Sales in the Radiation Therapy segment improved sharply to € 30.9 million following a weak year in 2014. The segment also profited from the more favorable USD exchange rate. Tumor irradiation equipment deliveries also increased again due to the completion of delayed projects from the prior year, with the launch of SagiNova® providing an additional boost. In the Radiopharma segment, the equipment division saw an excellent performance. Sales in Modular-Lab systems picked up again, triggering a simultaneous increase in demand for consumables. Approved pharmaceutical gallium generators also registered an improvement in sales. The cyclotron division benefited from newly acquired products for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. However, these positive effects were practically neutralized by subsiding prices and volumes for traditional FDG products. Our price increases and the expansion of business operations at the UK interest led to a substantial improvement in sales in the Others segment. This is exclusively attributable to services, and was not related to the increase in provisions for disposals.
Cash flow from operating activities increased by € 5.6 million to € 16.2 million which does not include the above-mentioned one-off effects. The reduction in receivables and inventories is largely responsible for the improvement. These items registered a sharp increase in the prior year. The disposal of OPS led to a considerable inflow of cash, with investment activities generally having a positive impact. Cash outflows from financing activities were roughly on par with the prior year. As of the reporting date, cash and cash equivalents increased by € 9.6 million to a comfortable level of € 31.5 million.
Stable sales of around € 140 million and an EBIT of roughly € 16 million are expected for fiscal year 2016. This should result in consolidated profit of some € 9.5 million or € 1.80 per share. The forecasts are based on an exchange rate of maximum USD/EUR 1.15.
The complete financial statements can be viewed here.
About Eckert & Ziegler.
Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700), with approximately 700 employees, is one of the world’s largest providers of isotope technology for radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.
Contributing to saving lives.
For enquiries please contact:
Eckert & Ziegler AG, Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 94 10 84-138, karolin.riehle@ezag.de, www.ezag.de