EQS : growth continues / Geographic expansion and an upswing on the IPO market driving business

EQS Group AG growth continues / Geographic expansion and an upswing on the IPO market driving business

Munich - 28 August 2015

EQS Group AG (ISIN: DE0005494165) continued to grow both domestically and internationally in the second quarter, building on the strong start to the year. Investments in geographic expansion are bearing fruit, even if there are, as expected, short-term effects on profitability. In the first six months of 2015, the company generated revenue of EUR8.995 million. This represents a growth of 23% from the same period of the previous year. Adjusted for revenues in the first four months for the Asian subsidiary acquired at the end of April, growth was 13%. EBIT before scheduled amortisation of the customer assets and before acquisition costs (Non-IFRS) rose in the first six months of the year despite high expenditure for the Asian expansion; it was up 9% to EUR1.251 million. The scalable business model led to a 28% increase in EBIT to EUR1.078 million compared to last year. Adjusted net income totalled EUR.757 million. Year-on-year adjusted earnings per share were up from EUR0.47 to EUR.65.

In the second quarter, revenues totalled EUR4.788 million (+20%), adjusted EBIT was down -11% to EUR.770 million and net income was down -20% to EUR.387 million. Adjusted earnings per share for the period from April to June were EUR.33 (previous year: EUR.40).

According to Achim Weick, CEO of EQS Group AG, "The first six months of the year saw extremely positive developments for EQS Group AG. We were able further to consolidate our leading position in the German-speaking countries and significantly expand our international business. EQS Group has emerged as a clear winner from the market consolidation that has been ongoing since the financial crisis broke."

A very positive trend was the upswing on the IPO market in Germany. This ensured that revenues in the Regulatory Information & News segment remained steady despite an environment of delisting and downlisting on the domestic market. Revenues in this segment amounted to EUR3.001 million (-1%) in the first six months. EBIT rose by 20% to EUR.701 million, and non-IFRS EBIT by 4% to EUR.757 million.

New customers acquired in the IPOs also had a positive effect on the Products & Services segment; another key performance driver was the new Asian subsidiary EQS Asia Ltd. Revenues were up by 37% in the first six months of the year to EUR6.473 million. Segment EBIT without acquisition expenses increased correspondingly by a significant 48% to EUR.377 million. Non-IFRS EBIT rose by 18% to EUR.494 million.

Forecast confirmed

The EQS Group Management Board expects continued revenue increases of between 10-15% to EUR18 - EUR18.8 million for the current business year. We expect a decrease of 5-10% to EUR3 - EUR3.15 million in Non-IFRS EBIT due to higher expenditures, particularly for expansion into China's markets. EQS Group expect 2016 to see new records in revenue and adjusted EBIT.

Management will comment on results today beginning at 11:00 a.m. (CET) via teleconference which will be streamed live online at www.eqs.com.

* Non-IFRS performance indicators before amortisation on acquired customer assets & acquisition costs

Further Comments:

Six month 2015 figures are unaudited.

The complete quarterly report can be found and downloaded at www.eqs.com in Investor Relations in an interactive version.

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About EQS Group

The EQS Group is a Munich-headquartered leading international provider of digital corporate communications.

Since its founding in 2000, the EQS Group has grown to be a leading global provider of digital solutions for investor relations and corporate communications. Its solutions and services enable over 7,000 companies worldwide to fulfill complex domestic and international corporate information requirements securely, timely and efficiently.

EQS Investor Relations and EQS Corporate Communications disseminate financial and corporate news, develop corporate websites and apps, produce online financial as well as sustainability reports, and execute audio and video broadcasts. EQS Financial Markets & Media and ARIVA.DE (25.44%) are active in financial marketing, data and content delivery as well as the development of financial portals. Through its DGAP service, the EQS Group is the institution by which companies fulfill mandatory regulatory news dissemination requirements.

The EQS Group is headquartered in Munich, with a further domestic office in Hamburg. The international growth strategy has led to subsidiaries in Zurich, Moscow, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore, Taipei, and Kochi. EQS Group currently has over 180 employees.