EQS-News: adesso increases sales in 2024 to approx. EUR 1.3 billion (+14 %) / EBITDA improves by +23 % to approx. EUR 98.3 million / Dividend increase to EUR 0.75 / Positive margin trend also planned for 2025

adesso increases sales in 2024 to approx. EUR 1.3 billion (+14 %) / EBITDA improves by +23 % to approx. EUR 98.3 million / Dividend increase to EUR 0.75 / Positive margin trend also planned for 2025

* Sales increase by 14 % to approx. EUR 1.3 billion in 2024

* EBITDA of approx. EUR 98.3 million(+23 %) in line with expectations

* EBITDA margin improves significantly to 10.6 % in the second half of 2024

* Proposed dividend increase to EUR 0.75 per share

* Growth forecast for 2025: sales between EUR 1.35 and 1.45 billion with EBITDA of EUR 105 to 125 million

Based on preliminary figures for the 2024 financial year, adesso Group was able to increase consolidated sales by 14 % year-on-year to around EUR 1.30 billion (previous year: EUR 1.14 billion) largely organically. EBITDA of around EUR 98.3 million was achieved (previous year: EUR 80.0 million). The operating earnings margin recovered to 10.6 % in the second half of 2024 (H1 2024: 4.4 %; FY 2024: 7.6 %) on the basis of a significant reduction in hiring momentum and the resulting gradual increase in capacity utilisation. Despite the weak result in the first half of the year, the operating result for 2024 as a whole increased by +23 % year-on-year, outpacing sales growth. The slightly improved EBITDA margin of 7.6 % (previous year: 7.0 %) was burdened by continued high investments from the product area, which are expected to decrease in 2025. Consolidated net profit increased even more significantly to EUR 10.2 million (previous year: EUR 3.4 million). This results in earnings per share of EUR 1.25 after EUR 0.49 in the previous year.

In the final quarter of the year, sales increased compared to the previous year (EUR 302.2 million) and the previous quarter (EUR 330.2 million) to a new record of around EUR 336 million. In the fourth quarter four fewer working days were available than in the highest-margin third quarter of 2024. With EBITDA of around EUR 31.8 million, this results in a margin of 9.5 % in the fourth quarter.

The Executive Board sees its previous assumptions regarding the continued positive development of demand in the IT services market and the positive margin trend of the adesso Group confirmed in view of the higher capacity utilisation. In a fundamentally difficult macroeconomic environment and taking into account budget delays in the public sector due to the new elections in Germany, the reduced hiring momentum will be maintained for the time being. Therefore, further sales growth to EUR 1.35 to 1.45 billion is expected for 2025. With capacity utilisation expected to be higher over the year as a whole and product business picking up again from the second half of 2025, EBITDA is expected to increase further to between EUR 105 million and EUR 125 million.

Key balance sheet and earnings figures have improved in line with planning over the course of the year, meaning that the dividend policy of recent years will be continued. The Executive Board is proposing an increased dividend of EUR 0.75 (previous year: EUR 0.70) per share for the 2024 financial year.

The assessment is based on the findings to date from the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. The complete audited consolidated financial statements for 2024 will be published as planned on 27 March 2025.

adesso Group

With more than 10,300 employees and annual sales of around EUR 1.3 billion in 2024, adesso Group is one of the largest German IT service providers with outstanding growth opportunities. At its own locations in Germany, other locations in Europe and the first locations in Asia, as well as at numerous local customers adesso offers consulting and software development services for optimising core business processes. adesso also offers ready-to-use software products for standard applications. The development of an own, industry-specific product portfolio opens up additional growth and earnings opportunities and is another key element of the adesso strategy. In 2023 and 2020, adesso was awarded the title of the best employer of its size in Germany across all industries. After having already achieved first place among IT employers in 2016, 2018 and 2020, adesso was ranked first again in 2023.