ATOSS Growth continues for an 11th successive year

ATOSS Software AG reports continuing success as provisional results show all key figures again reaching new record highs in financial year 2016. Consolidated sales were up by a substantial 10 percent at EUR 49.5 million. And despite significant future-oriented investments, ATOSS once again exceeded the excellent development in earnings achieved in previous years: double-digit growth saw operating profits (EBIT) climb by 20 percent to EUR 13.6 million with a margin on sales up from 25 percent last year to 27 percent. With these figures, the workforce management specialist has succeeded in further intensifying its dynamic growth and profitability.

The final figure for overall sales revenues at EUR 49.5 million marked a new high point in the company’s history. As the main driver of growth, software licenses accounted for EUR 11.2 million during the period, representing an increase of 14 percent over the year before. The consistent positive development in software maintenance over recent years was also sustained, with sales up 7 percent at EUR 18.1 million. As a result, turnover in software amounted to EUR 29.3 million, representing a proportion of 59 percent of consolidated revenues. In the field of consulting – supported by the excellent order situation for implementation services following the sale of licenses – ATOSS saw turnover increase by 12 percent to EUR 13.4 million. Hardware sales amounted to EUR 4.4 million (previous year: EUR 4.6 million), while other miscellaneous sales came in at EUR 2.4 million, up by EUR 0.7 million over the year before.

ATOSS is a top performer, and not just in sales: Operating profits rose significantly by 20 percent to EUR 13.6 million, adding two percentage points to the margin on sales which came in at 27 percent. With positive financial earnings of EUR 0.1 million, earnings before taxes (EBT) climbed 21 percent to EUR 13.7 million while net income was 22 percent higher at EUR 9.3 million. In financial year 2016 ATOSS recorded earnings per share of EUR 2.33, compared with EUR 1.91 in the year before. The highly positive development in business helped to boost cash flow from operations by 53 percent to EUR 12.2 million, while liquidity remained strong at EUR 24.8 million (previous year: EUR 24.4 million) despite the dividend amounting to EUR 11.1 million paid at the end of April 2016. The equity ratio as of 31.12.2016 stood at 50 percent, underscoring the continuing strength of the ATOSS balance sheet.

The Management Board intends to propose that in resolving on the appropriation of net income, the Supervisory Board recommends a dividend of EUR 1.16 per share. This represents a continuation of the policy adopted by ATOSS more than ten years ago of distributing around 50 percent of earnings per share and assures continuity with the preceding year. In addition at occasional intervals the company also utilizes surplus liquidity to pay special dividends. In financial year 2016 ATOSS disbursed a total of EUR 11.1 million (comprising a dividend of EUR 0.95 and a special payment of EUR 1.85 per share). The recommendations for the appropriation of net income put forward by the Management and Supervisory Boards will be resolved upon at the annual general meeting on April 28, 2017.

A strong demand for workforce management solutions is increasingly being perceived in virtually all sectors and among companies of all sizes. The very concept of Industrie 4.0 can only be implemented with the aid of powerful information systems and software solutions. These extremely positive forecasts are underpinned in particular by the increasingly dynamic growth of our company in recent financial years, each of which have seen double-digit growth in sales, and emphatically confirm that the growth potential of ATOSS is still far from exhausted.

The Management Board regards the latest record figures as an incentive for the future and expects the highly positive trend to be sustained in the current financial year with an EBIT margin of approx. 25 percent.