Strong fourth quarter indicates sustained dynamics
In financial year 2011 ATOSS generated 60 percent of its sales valued at EUR 18.8 million (previous year: EUR 17.8 million) in its core software segment. Consulting yielded EUR 8.4 million (previous year EUR 7.9 million), with hardware accounting for EUR 2.8 million (previous year
EUR 2.5 million) and other sales coming in at EUR 1.6 million (previous year EUR 1.1 million). With growth of eight percent, the Munich-based company once again outpaced industry association BITKOM’s reported increase of around five percent for software companies. The trend in the final quarter of 2011 was especially positive. With sales of EUR 8.2 million (previous year EUR 7.9 million) ATOSS recorded the highest quarterly turnover since its foundation in 1987.
Amounting to EUR 6.9 million as of December 31, orders for software licenses were up by a significant nine percent over the year before. In the fourth quarter alone ATOSS booked orders valued at EUR 2.1 million. Standing at EUR 3.3 million, orders on hand at the year-end were seven percent higher than the year before (EUR 3.1 million).
Top quality earnings scale new heights
Operating profits (EBIT) in 2011 climbed seven percent to EUR 7.3 million (previous year EUR 6.8 million). As a result - and in spite of higher investments - ATOSS maintained the previous year’s record margin of 23 percent. With financial income proving highly positive, earnings before taxes (EBT) and net income both put on double-digit growth. EBT in 2011 climbed 21 percent to EUR 8.4 million (previous year EUR 7.0 million), while net income at EUR 5.7 million was some 18 percent higher (previous year EUR 4.8 million). Earnings per share also reached a new high of EUR 1.43 (previous year: EUR 1.21).
The Management and Supervisory Boards are expected to decide on the appropriation of profits to be proposed to the AGM at the Supervisory Board meeting to approve the balance sheet on March 6, 2012. Last year ATOSS paid a dividend of EUR 0.60 on earnings per share of EUR 1.21, representing a distribution of 50%.
Balance sheet remains extremely sound
In financial year 2011 ATOSS again recorded very strong operating cash flow at EUR 5.3 million (previous year EUR 5.6 million), equivalent to 17 percent of sales. Liquidity climbed 18 percent to EUR 24.9 million (previous year EUR 21.1 million), equivalent to EUR 6.25 per share compared with EUR 5.32 last year. The change in investment policy in 2011 was clearly successful with financial income rising from EUR 0.1 million in the year before to EUR 1.1 million. As of December 31, 2011 the equity ratio stood at 67 percent, compared with 63 percent for the year before.
Workforce management continues to gain in significance
For a large number of companies, the workforce management topics already represent a core management issue. This is due not least to the effects of demographic change and the increasing shortage of skilled labor, which is restricting the capacity of many businesses for growth. The challenges are huge, for as the pool of potential employees reduces, the focus is shifting to the efficient deployment of personnel coupled with an emphasis on employee motivation and loyalty.
Both companies and employees are also increasingly keen to increase the flexibility of working hours. Consequently, the rising number of working time models are placing ever-greater demands on workforce management and scheduling. ATOSS Software AG offers some important insights into how to resolve these issues, highlighting how companies can achieve specific and sustained improvements in productivity - even in these difficult circumstances. It is to be expected that these trends will intensify in future, with the result that the market for workforce management can look forward to unrestricted growth. As a specialist in this market, the perspectives for ATOSS are excellent.
2012: Moderate sales growth forecast with EBIT margins above 20%
Going forward in 2012, the experts at BITKOM expect spending in the software segment in Germany to rise by 5.2 percent to EUR 17.0 billion. Based on this highly positive outlook, as well as the gratifyingly buoyant order intake in Q4 2011, the Management Board is confident that ATOSS will again achieve moderate sales growth in the current year. At the same time, the company intends to make further investments in sales and marketing in the 2012 financial year in order to address the potential for fresh growth in the field of workforce management. Taking these investments into account, the Management Board continues to expect an EBIT margin securely in excess of 20 percent.
