Berlin, May 6, 2014. Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700), a Berlin-based company specializing in isotope technology for medical, scientific and industrial applications, increased sales by 16% year on year in the first quarter of 2014 to € 30.7 million. All key product groups reported sales increases, despite disadvantageous changes in exchange rates; organic growth (especially with regard to industrial components) was boosted by acquisitions (such as in the Cyclotron business).
EBIT soared by 25% to € 3.0 million due to additional contribution margins from the increase in sales as well as the absence of overall negative special effects in the prior-year quarter. However, in the Radiation Therapy segment, restructuring in the newly acquired companies in the USA counteracted this effect and resulted in the first-ever quarterly loss. As the losses reported by the Radiation Therapy segment are shared with minority shareholders, they had less of an impact on the Group's net profit for the quarter, which grew faster than EBIT - by 32% to € 1.6 million.
In the period from January to March 2014, liquidity fell € 4.3 million to € 25.1 million. This was due to a 18% rise in net working capital (increase in receivables and inventories) to € 36.4 million, greater investments and higher loan repayments. The latter resulted in equity increasing from 51% to 52%.
The Executive Board has confirmed the sales and earnings growth of at least 10% forecast for 2014 in the annual financial statements for 2013. In concrete terms, sales are expected to grow to € 134 million and net profit to € 10.5 million or € 2.00 per share.
The complete quarterly financial statements can be viewed under:
http://www.ezag.com/fileadmin/ezag/user-uploads/pdf/financial-reports/englisch/euz114e.pdf
About Eckert & Ziegler.
Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700), with approximately 700 employees, is one the world's largest providers of isotope technology for radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.
Contributing to saving lives.
For further information or questions, 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.com