Basler AG presented its audited annual report 2014 last week. The group's sales increased in the fiscal year 2014 by 22 % to € 79.2 million (previous year: € 65.1 million). The gross profit margin increased to 51.8 % after 49.9 % in the previous year. The group's earnings before taxes (EBT) rose by 42 % to € 11.1 million (previous year: € 7.8 million). The pre-tax return amounted to 14 % (previous year: 12 %). With these results, the upper end of the guidance previously communicated by the company has been achieved.
The cash flow from operational activity amounted to € 16.0 million (previous year: € 12.1 million, +32 %). The free cash flow, calculated as the sum of cash flows from operational activity and investment, reached a value of € 7.4 million (previous year: € 5.6 million, +32 %). In 2014, Basler AG achieved the best results in the 25 years of the company's history. With this background, Basler AG will propose to this year's shareholders' meeting the distribution of a dividend of 70 cents per share.
For the fiscal year 2015, the Basler group expects an increase of sales to € 81 to 84 million. Due to attractive growth opportunities in the industrial camera market, investments in future sales growth will be continued with unabated intensity. As far as earnings are concerned, we are assuming a solid pre-tax return rate between 9 % and 10 % depending on the sales development. In 2015, for the first time, the company sales will be generated entirely from its camera business and thus compensate the sales of approximately € 5 million from the systems business shown in 2014.
