Empresas y finanzas

Heidelberg Financial Year 2006/2007: Targets Achieved - Further Improvement in Earnings



    Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) (FWB: HDD) clearly
    increased both sales and earnings in financial year 2006/2007 (April
    1, 2006 to March 31, 2007). "For the fourth year in succession, we
    have been able to draw on the upswing in the global economy and the
    resultant upward trend in our industry," stated Bernhard Schreier, CEO
    of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. "For the current financial year, we
    are expecting moderate growth in the volume of business," he added.

    Sales by the Heidelberg Group during the period under review
    climbed six percent to EUR 3.803 billion (previous year: EUR 3.586
    billion). The fourth quarter alone returned sales of EUR 1.214
    billion, the highest level in the last five years on a comparable
    basis.

    Incoming orders in the financial year just closed were EUR 3.853
    billion (previous year: EUR 3.605 billion), around 7 percent up on the
    previous year. The Heidelberg Group thus succeeded in increasing
    incoming orders for the third successive year. At around EUR 1
    billion, the order backlog at March 31, 2007 was on a par with the
    previous year's high level.

    In the period under review, the Heidelberg Group increased its
    operating result to EUR 362 million, significantly up on the previous
    year (previous year: EUR 277 million). This produced an EBIT margin of
    9.5 percent of sales (previous year: 7.7 percent). A number of factors
    contributed to this result, including positive one-time effects from
    asset management of around EUR 60 million, resulting primarily from
    the sale of Linotype GmbH and the Research and Development Center in
    Heidelberg ("sale and lease back"). During the course of the year,
    this helped compensate most of the higher spending on R&D, investments
    in new generations of printing presses, more unfavorable exchange
    rates, and a decline in sales in China.

    The net profit climbed to EUR 263 million (previous year: EUR 135
    million) and included a positive one-time effect in the form of a
    corporate income tax credit of EUR 73 million. This credit relates to
    a change in the way existing tax credits are treated and has no impact
    on the level of future dividends. The free cash flow also increased
    substantially to EUR 229 million (previous year: EUR 149 million) as a
    result of tight asset management.

    "Last financial year, we once again saw a significant improvement
    in earnings and free cash flow and in essence reached the targets we
    had set ourselves," stated Heidelberg CFO Dirk Kaliebe. "All in all,
    we have taken another sizeable step towards strengthening the
    Company's sustainable profitability. As described in the outline of
    prospects, we expect business to continue to develop positively due to
    the stability in the industry in most regions and the Heidelberg
    Group's improved cost structures," he added.

    As of March 31, 2007, the Heidelberg Group had a workforce of
    19,171 worldwide (previous year: 18,436). This figure includes new
    appointments - primarily at Heidelberg production facilities - and,
    for the first time, 156 employees from the initial consolidation of
    BHS Druck- und Veredelungstechnik GmbH, Weiden, a subsidiary of the
    Gallus Group.

    Results in the Press and Postpress divisions:

    In the Press Division (offset printing), sales in the financial
    year just closed rose by approx. 6 percent to EUR 3.321 billion.
    Incoming orders in the period under review increased by 7 percent on
    the previous year to EUR 3.367 billion. The operating result for
    2006/2007 was EUR 314 million (previous year: EUR 248 million).

    In the Postpress Division (finishing), sales in the period under
    review rose by around 12 percent to EUR 445 million. Incoming orders
    increased by some 9 percent to EUR 449 million. The operating result
    of this division for the period under review was EUR 7 million
    (previous year: loss of EUR 3 million).

    In the EMEA, North America, Latin America and Eastern Europe
    regions, sales and incoming orders showed a considerable improvement
    on the previous year. In the Asia/Pacific region, figures fell short
    of the high levels of the previous year. The suspension of import duty
    exemption in China, which took effect from the second quarter,
    postponed incoming orders and sales.

    Dividend proposal

    At the Annual General Meeting on July 26, 2007, the Management
    Board and the Supervisory Board will propose increasing the dividend
    from last year's level of EUR 0.65 per share to EUR 0.95 per share for
    2006/2007.

    Prospects for financial year 2007/2008: Moderate increase in sales
    and net profit roughly equivalent to 5 percent of sales expected

    During the next three-year period, from 2007/2008 to 2009/2010,
    the Company expects to increase total sales by 10 to 15 percent. In
    the current financial year 2007/2008, Heidelberg predicts a moderate
    growth in sales in the run-up to drupa 2008.

    In 2006/2007, the year under review, the result of operating
    activities included positive one-time effects amounting to around EUR
    60 million. In the current financial year 2007/2008, Heidelberg is
    looking to increase the pure operating result by 10 to 15 percent
    compared to the adjusted value for the year under review of EUR 302
    million. This represents a target result of operating activities for
    2007/2008 of EUR 330 million to EUR 345 million.

    Also benefiting from the positive effects of the German tax reform
    and from internal optimizations to ease the tax burden, the net profit
    will continue to grow. Overall, the Company predicts an increase in
    the net profit - excluding one-time effects - of around 4 percent of
    sales for the year under review to about 5 percent in the current
    financial year 2007/2008.

    Share buyback

    On November 7, 2006, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG began a second
    share buyback program which plans up to five percent of the Company's
    capital stock - a maximum of 4,152,535 shares - to be repurchased on
    the stock market by January 2008 at the latest. By the end of the
    2006/2007 financial year, on March 31, 2007, 2,419,422 shares had been
    bought back through this program. At the end of the financial year
    just closed, Heidelberg cancelled 3,322,658 shares from the first and
    second buyback programs. The Company's capital stock now amounts to
    EUR 204,103,795.20 and is divided into 79,728,045 bearer shares.

    The tables showing the figures as well as further information can
    be downloaded from the Press Lounge at www.heidelberg.com.

    Other dates:

    The Annual General Meeting of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG will
    be held at the Congress-Center Rosengarten in Mannheim on July 26,
    2007.

    The scheduled publication date for the financial statements for
    the first quarter of 2007/2008 is August 2, 2007.

    Important note:

    This Press Information contains statements about future
    development that are based on assumptions and estimates by the
    management of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft. Even if
    the management is of the opinion that these assumptions and estimates
    are accurate, future actual developments and future actual results may
    differ significantly from these assumptions and estimates due to a
    variety of factors. These factors can include changes to the overall
    economic climate, changes to exchange rates and interest rates and
    changes in the graphic arts industry. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
    Aktiengesellschaft provides no guarantee that future developments and
    the results actually achieved in the future will agree with the
    assumptions and estimates set out in this press release and assumes no
    liability for such.