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Abonner BAUER Aktiengesellschaft

BAUER Aktiengesellschaft

Bauer maintains profitable growth

Schrobenhausen (euro adhoc) -

. Total Group revenues up 23.3 percent to EUR 1.2 billion
 . 
After-tax profit exceeds expectations, up 111.4 percent to EUR 74.4
million
 . Doubling of dividend to EUR 1.00 per share planned
 . Full
order books deliver bright prospects for 2008
  ots.CorporateNews transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for
  the content of this announcement.
companies/financial statements
April 22, 2008 - The global
construction and equipment manufacturing group BAUER 
Aktiengesellschaft maintained its strong growth in 2007, surpassing 
targets even as they were repeatedly raised in the course of the 
year. It substantially increased its revenues, profits and orders in 
hand. The company benefited from the healthy economic climate, the 
international spread of its operations and its strategy of moving 
into future-oriented fields of business.
Significant increase in revenues and profits, outstanding levels of 
orders in hand, more than 1,400 jobs created
In the year under review, Bauer increased its total Group revenues by
23.3 percent to EUR 1,208 million. In response to the long recession 
in the German construction industry and as a result of Bauer's 
concerted strategy of globalization, around 73 percent of those total
revenues are generated outside of Germany.
Bauer succeeded in achieving a particularly impressive improvement in
profitability. Its earnings after interest and taxes were up 111.4 
percent at EUR 74.4 million, well above the forecast, which itself 
had been raised as recently as December 2007. Earnings before 
interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by 80.6 percent to EUR 131.8 
million.
Orders in hand were up 46.3 percent at the end of 2007, totalling EUR
618 million. Bauer has maintained those high levels into the current 
financial year: "Our order books are looking healthy, and in some 
cases extremely healthy, throughout the Group. Our capacities are 
fully taken up well into the second half of the year," reports 
Chairman of the Management Board Professor Thomas Bauer.
The Bauer workforce through 2007 averaged 6,983 people - over a 
quarter up on the previous year's figure.
Construction: Domestic business picking up, bright prospects on 
international markets
The Bauer Group operates three separate segments: Construction, 
Equipment and Resources. The Resources segment was newly added in the
past financial year.
The Construction segment generated revenues of EUR 531.8 million, EUR
7 million down on the previous year. It nevertheless improved its 
EBIT by a substantial 139.4 percent to EUR 24.8 million.
Professor Thomas Bauer is very pleased with this growth: "Our 
domestic business in small and medium-sized projects is picking up 
noticeably, though prices on large-scale projects in particular 
remain under pressure." The main drivers of growth are the company's 
international subsidiaries, with interesting project opportunities 
being exploited in regions including the Middle East, Vietnam, 
Australia and Malaysia, as well as in the USA, where the Group's 
focus has been on infrastructure projects. According to Professor 
Bauer, international operations have benefited from the Group's 
regional network strategy, enabling it to respond rapidly to market 
fluctuations and reassign its capacities in a flexible manner.
Equipment: High demand for product range, capacities expanded, new 
innovations announced
The Equipment segment once again set new standards in 2007, building 
further on its share of a growing market. The segment exceeded its 
previous-year revenues by 42.1 percent. At EUR 643.1 million, they 
now account for roughly half of total Group revenues. The segment's 
operating profit rose by a disproportionately high 71.1 percent to 
EUR 105.9 million.
In view of the surging demand for its high-tech specialist foundation
engineering equipment and for oil, gas and well drilling rigs, Bauer 
is expanding its production capacities by more than two thirds 
overall, at its home base in Schrobenhausen, in Nordhausen in the 
Thuringia region of Germany, as well as in the USA, Italy, Russia, 
China (Shanghai and Tianjin) and Malaysia.
"In order to match our capacities to the high levels of demand, in 
2007 and 2008 we are implementing the largest new building investment
programme in the company's history, involving a total commitment of 
some EUR 80 million," Professor Bauer states. "We are also working 
intensively on the design of new equipment and will soon be launching
an innovative deep-level drilling rig capable of drilling down to 
depths of several thousand metres, which will open up another growth 
market to us."
Resources: Potential for global future markets
The new Resources segment established in 2007 bundles services in the
mining, geothermal energy, environmental technology and well drilling
and engineering fields. The segment incorporates existing mining and 
environmental companies as well as the German Water and Energy (GWE) 
Group, which was acquired in the second quarter of 2007. Based on 
revenues of EUR 112 million, the segment made an operating profit of 
EUR 0.3 million.
Professor Bauer believes there is even greater potential still to be 
realized: "The world faces major challenges in terms of the 
environment, energy and raw materials. Our new Resources segment will
be targeting those emerging future markets."
Doubling of dividend to EUR 1.00 per share planned The Management 
Board and Supervisory Board will propose to the Annual General 
Meeting that the dividend payment be doubled to EUR 1.00 per share. 
As a result, EUR 17.1 million will be paid out to shareholders. 
Excluding minority interests, this represents just under one quarter 
of total consolidated profit.
Outlook
The BAUER Group has seamlessly maintained its outstanding 
previous-year performance into 2008. Orders in hand are at healthy 
levels - and in some cases extremely healthy levels - in all 
segments, and the Group sees strong opportunities for further sales 
growth and rising profitability.
The Group expects full-year sales to be at least EUR 1.375 billion 
(previous year: EUR 1.2 billion) and after-tax profit to be around 
EUR 90 million (previous year: EUR 74.4 million). "With its 
Construction, Equipment and Resources segments, its global operations
and its highly-qualified workforce, Bauer is in an outstanding 
strategic position. The state of the global economy and the growing 
market for our products and services offer a wide range of 
opportunities which we intend to exploit. There is no reason why we 
cannot sustain our growth unabated," asserts Professor Bauer. He also
indicates the prospect of further minor acquisitions.
About Bauer
Bauer is an international provider of services, machinery and 
ancillary products in the earth-working and groundwater fields. The 
Group markets its products and services all over the world. Its 
global spread allows it to remain largely unaffected by fluctuating 
business cycles.
The operations of the Group are divided into three segments: 
Construction, Equipment and Resources. The Construction segment 
carries out specialist foundation engineering work all over the 
world, developing foundation and excavation projects as well as 
providing related construction services. In its Equipment segment, in
which it is a world market leader, Bauer offers an extensive range of
machinery, equipment and tools for specialist foundation engineering.
The Resources segment encompasses the Group's operations in the 
exploitation of raw materials, in environmental technology, in 
geothermal drilling operations and also in equipment for wells 
(including pumps and drills, screens and casings).
Bauer profits greatly from the collaboration between its three 
separate segments, enabling the Group to position itself as an 
innovative, highly specialized provider of complete solutions and 
services for demanding projects on the specialist foundation 
engineering and related markets.
Founded in 1790, Bauer today generates more than two thirds of its 
total revenues outside of Germany. Employing nearly 7,000 people, the
Group's total revenues in 2007 were EUR 1.2 billion (previous year: 
EUR 980 million). BAUER Aktiengesellschaft has been listed on the 
official market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since July 4, 2006 
(Prime Standard, ISIN DE0005168108).
GROUP KEY FIGURES 2007 (IFRS)
|                                |2006         |2007            |Change      |
|                                |in EUR       |in EUR million  |            |
|                                |million      |                |            |
|Total Group revenues*,          |979.9        |1,208.1         |23.3 %      |
|of which                        |             |                |            |
|- Germany                       |282.2        |331.6           |17.5 %      |
|- International                 |697.7        |876.5           |25.6 %      |
|of which                        |             |                |            |
|- Construction                  |538.8        |531.8           |- 1.3 %     |
|- Equipment                     |452.4        |643.1           |42.1 %      |
|- Resources                     |63.9         |112.0           |75.3 %      |
|- Consolidation / Other         |- 75.2       |- 78.8          |n/a         |
|Sales revenues                  |835.4        |1,033.0         |23.7 %      |
|Orders in hand                  |422.4        |618.0           |46.3 %      |
|EBITDA                          |123.2        |185.4           |50.5 %      |
|EBITDA margin in % (of sales    |14.7 %       |17.9 %          |n/a         |
|revenues)                       |             |                |            |
|EBIT                            |73.0         |131.8           |80.6 %      |
|EBIT margin in % (of sales      |8.7 %        |12.8 %          |n/a         |
|revenues)                       |             |                |            |
|Profit**                        |35.2         |74.4            |111.4 %     |
|Shareholders' equity            |222.6        |279.1           |25.4 %      |
|Equity ratio in %               |34.6 %       |34.1 %          |n/a         |
|Earnings per share in EUR***    |EUR 2.17     |EUR 4.23        |94.9 %      |
|Dividend per share in EUR****   |EUR 0.50     |EUR 1.00        |100.0 %     |
|Employees                       |5,541        |6,983           |26.0 %      |
*     At variance with the consolidated and sales revenues presented 
in the    Group income statement, the total Group revenues presented 
here include    portions of revenues from associated companies as 
well as revenues of    non-consolidated subsidiaries and joint 
ventures.
**    Before minority interests.
***   Diluted and basic, following share split.
****  2007 proposed.
end of announcement                               euro adhoc

Further inquiry note:

Bettina Mestenhauser
Head of Investor Relations
Telefon: +49(0)8252 97 1918
E-Mail: investor.relations@bauer.de

Branche: Construction & Property
ISIN: DE0005168108
WKN: 516810
Index: SDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
Börsen: Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse Berlin / free trade
Börse Hamburg / free trade
Börse Stuttgart / free trade
Börse Düsseldorf / free trade
Börse München / free trade

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