Kontron AG (https://www.kontron.com, ISIN AT0000A0E9W5, WKN A0X9EJ, KTN) has closed the first quarter of 2023 with strong results. After its strategic realignment in 2022 towards the flourishing “Internet of Things” (IoT) the technology group is now powering ahead. With revenue rising to EUR 277.7 million in the first quarter (PY: EUR 247.0 million), revenue growth is at 12.4%, with organic growth as high as 14.0%. EBITDA climbed to EUR 29.6 million (PY: EUR 23.7 million) representing a plus of 24.9%. Net profit increased by 66% to EUR 16.6 million (PY: EUR 10.0 million). A net profit totalling EUR 66 million is expected for the full financial year 2023. The good earnings were driven by the “Software + Solutions” segment, which achieved an EBITDA margin of 18.9%. A record order intake here – the book-to-bill ratio for this segment stood at 219% – suggests strong ongoing growth.
With a total order intake of EUR 390.7 million resulting in a book-to-bill ratio of 141%, the Group also set a new record. The supply chain difficulties from 2022 are visibly easing. Operating cash flow totalled EUR 5.2 million (PY: EUR -60 million) in the seasonally weak first quarter, continuing the strong cash flow trend from the fourth quarter of 2022. Adjusted for factoring liabilities, the operating cash flow stood at EUR 22.1 million. The net cash position at the end of the quarter was EUR 438.4 million, facilitating additional growth in the Kontron Group. Kontron is still planning one or two major acquisitions in 2023; in addition, a record dividend and continuation of the current share buyback programme are planned.
Hannes Niederhauser, CEO of Kontron AG: “We expect 2023 to be a very good year for Kontron. With an order backlog of EUR 1,573 million at the end of March, all planned revenue – the target is EUR 1,200 million – for the financial year 2023 has already been secured. In addition to revenue growth, it is important for us to increase profitability. At the end of March, we raised our net profit guidance to EUR 66 million, with an EBITDA margin of 11%. This represents an increase of more than 20% compared to the previous year. With the planned acquisitions, we are sticking to our target of EUR 2,000 million in revenue in 2025 – and that with significantly greater profitability.”