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Generali Holding Vienna AG

euro adhoc: Generali Holding Vienna AG
Quarterly or Semiannual Financial Statements
Generali: Doubling of Profit from Ordinary Activities in Sight

Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc.
  The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
Generali Vienna Group reports sharp increase in profit from ordinary
activities during the first three quarters of 2004. Central and
Eastern Europe already accounts for nearly 27 per cent of premium
income.
The Generali Vienna Group nearly tripled its profit from ordinary
activities during the first three quarters of 2004. The group, which
operates under the umbrella of listed parent Generali Holding Vienna
AG (the only insurance enterprise listed in the Vienna stock
exchange's ATX index), reported an increase in profit from ordinary
activities to EUR 87.6 million. That compares with EUR 30.1 million
in the first nine months of 2003. CFO Walter Steidl is delighted: "As
things stand at the moment, we can already say with considerable
confidence that our full-year profit from ordinary activities will
show growth of over 100 per cent." Profit from ordinary activities
came to EUR 42.1 million in 2003. 
That impressive result is based on calculations in conformity with
the accounting standards laid down in Austria's HGB (commercial code)
applying the strengen Niederstwertprinzip (strict
lower-of-cost-and-market principle). Application of that principle
prohibits write-ups that would be permissible under IAS. If the
capital markets hold steady, as things stand at the moment, the
consolidated annual financial statements drawn up in conformity with
the International Accounting Standards will show a significantly
higher profit from ordinary activities.
There was also a marked improvement in the combined ratio of this
financial service provider, which operates in Austria and seven
countries in Central and Eastern Europe, as it fell sharply from 98.5
to 92.1 percent.
Net of reinsurance business, Generali's premium income grew by 3.9
per cent to EUR 1.97 billion. Its biggest segment was
property/casualty insurance, where premium income grew by 4.9 per
cent to EUR 1.38 billion. Premium income in the health insurance
segment increased by 1.5 per cent to EUR 130.8 million.
In the life insurance segment, Generali achieved satisfactory rates
of growth in the unit-linked and in the classical life insurance
lines. Unit-linked life insurance business showed an impressive
comeback, growing by 32.1 per cent to EUR 33.2 million. Premium
income from classical recurring-premium life insurance business came
to EUR 384.9 million, or 5.1 per cent more than in the first three
quarters of 2003.  Generali remained very restrained in the
single-premium segment, resulting in overall growth in its premium
income from life insurance business of 1.3 per cent to EUR 455.3
million. Including the savings premium for unit-linked life insurance
policies (excluded under IAS), the overall figure increased by 7.4
per cent to EUR 557.9 million.
Consolidated premium income during the first three quarters grew by
1.9 per cent to EUR 2.05 billion. With the savings premium for
unit-linked life insurance policies of EUR 102.6 million, it grew by
3.4 per cent.
Central and Eastern European markets continue to drive growth
Geographically, the group's growth continued to be driven by its
seven markets in Central and Eastern Europe (Hungary, the Czech
Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Croatia), which
already account for 26.7 per cent of its aggregate premium income. 
Overall growth in Central and Eastern Europe jumped by 16.7 per cent
to EUR 525.2 million, whereas premium income from primary insurance
business in the group's Austrian home market was nearly static on the
year at EUR 1,45 billion (decline of 0.1 per cent). Including the
savings premium for unit-linked life insurance policies, premium
income from primary insurance business grew in the CEE countries by
0.9 per cent to EUR 1.50 billion.
Claims and benefits during the first three quarters grew by just 1.9
per cent to EUR 1.50 billion. There was a drop in claims in the
property/casualty insurance segment by 5.7 per cent, reflecting the
success of the group's uncompromising corporate fitness programme. 
Outpayments in the life insurance segment increased by 16.4 per cent.
In the nine months ended 30 September 2004, the Group's consolidated
investments grew by 5.2 per cent to EUR 8.71 billion. As in the first
half of 2004, the fastest growing category in percentage terms was
shares and other non-fixed-interest securities, whose holdings grew
by 16.8 per cent or EUR 165.9 million.
The group's workforce was unchanged versus mid-2004 at 10,064. 
Generali remains one of the biggest employers in the Austrian
financial services industry.
The Generali Vienna Group is forecasting full-year premium growth of
2.1 per cent to EUR 2.6 billion.
As things stand at the moment, the group's results should enable it
to continue to increase its own funds and to declare the same
dividend to the shareholders of Generali Holding Vienna AG as last
year. The previous year's distribution (dividend plus bonus) was EUR
0.25 per share.
end of announcement                    euro adhoc 24.11.2004 14:03:51 

Further inquiry note:

Generali Holding Vienna AG
Josef Hlinka
Tel.: (++43-1) 534 01-1375
Fax: (++43-1) 534 01-1593
mailto:josef.hlinka@generali.at
http://www.generali-holding.at

Branche: Insurance
ISIN: AT0000661350
WKN: 066135
Index: WBI, ATX Prime, ATX
Börsen: Berliner Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Hamburger Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Bayerische Börse / free trade
Wiener Börse AG / official dealing

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