ASIAKASTIETO GROUP PLC, STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 22 SEPTEMBER 2016, 8.00 A.M. EEST
Best decisions easily: Digitalization provides Asiakastieto Group with further opportunities for growth
Changes in the operational environment is now faster than ever in almost all industries. Human work is replaced by machines, and globalization accelerates competition between companies, bringing services of the entire world available to practically anyone. In its strategy work, Asiakastieto Group has made an explicit observation, which is supported by views obtained by listening to the clientele: Digitalization and internalization of trade across borders provide Asiakastieto Group with a business opportunity for ever stronger growth.
In its new strategy, Asiakastieto Group outlines four dimensions, with which this growth opportunity can be made real.
- Excellent customer experience – we wish to offer an excellent customer experience in all channels and service situations.
- Capable and enthusiastic personnel – everything we do is based on the competence of people.
- Agile data – we make use of new data sources, e.g. explosively increasing unstructured data, and we develop new digital services in an agile and experimental manner.
- Developing core – in the scope of our present core competence there are significant potentials for growth, which we will utilize.
Long-term financial targets
Asiakastieto Group has updated its long-term financial targets. Asiakastieto Group’s Board of Directors has approved the higher financial targets on the 22 September 2016. The updated targets are the following (the previous ones in brackets):
Growth: Achieve 5 to 10 percent annual average growth in net sales (Achieve 4 to 9 percent annual average growth in net sales)
Profitability: Maintain profitability level of current services (Maintain EBIT-margin at or around historic levels)
Balance sheet structure: Maintain net debt to EBITDA of less than 3,0x while continuing to maintain an efficient capital structure
Dividends: Asiakastieto’s dividend policy is to distribute as dividends at least 70 per cent of the Company’s profit for the year annually
Guidance: Asiakastieto Group expects its net sales growth rate to exceed on annual level the last year’s level. Adjusted euro-denominated net operating profit is expected to increase from last year, despite the new rental cost for 2016 caused by the realization of office premises.
CEO Jukka Ruuska’s comment
“Unique and constantly growing database scalable to new needs of use is the core of Asiakastieto’s developing services, now and in the future. Nevertheless, we understand that by cooperating and constantly interacting with the world we are able to derive even more benefit from it. Thus, as one example of our strategy, we are now building DataLab, a sort of ongoing hackathon, in which our customers and other partners – our ecosystem – can develop and test their own data innovations by making use of Asiakastieto’s database. DataLab leads Asiakastieto genuinely to the road of transparency and trust that we wish to mark off in accordance with our mission.”
Asiakastieto Group’s Capital Market Day today
The event of Asiakastieto Group’s Capital Market Day 2016 for analysts, portfolio managers and media representatives starts today at 8.30 in Helsinki. The presentations are published in English on the company’s investor website at http://investors.asiakastieto.fi/ today. The presentations can also be followed as live webcast on the company’s investor website at http://qsb.webcast.fi/a/asiakastieto/asiakastieto_2016_0922_cmd/
The recording can be viewed on Friday, 23 September 2016 at the latest. You may also follow the event on Twitter with hashtag #AsiakastietoCMD
Programme
8.30
Breakfast and Registration
9.00
Welcome, AT Future 2020 – Strategy Review
Jukka Ruuska, CEO, Asiakastieto Group Oyj
10.00
Measuring Company Reputation from Online Data
Sami Kuusela, Co-founder, Underhood
Structuring the Unstructured – Taking Advantage of Data on the Internet
Juho Muhonen, Co-founder, Futusome Oy
10.30
Coffee Break
10.40
Asiakastieto’s Borderless Online World
Helena Kainulainen, Business Development Manager, Asiakastieto Group Oyj
11.00
Credit Application and Decisioning as a Service
Heikki Koivula, Deputy CEO and Head of Business Information, Asiakastieto Group Oyj
11.20
Boost from Sales and Marketing Services
Esa Kumpu, Director, Intellia Oy
11.40
Strong Growth in the First Half of the Year – Financial Review
Terhi Kauppi, CFO, Asiakastieto Group Oyj
12.00
Networking Lunch
ASIAKASTIETO GROUP OYJ
Additional information:
Jukka Ruuska
CEO
tel. +358 10 270 7111
Terhi Kauppi
CFO
tel. +358 10 270 7017
Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd
major media
investors.asiakastieto.fi
Asiakastieto Group is one of the leading Finnish providers of business and consumer information services. The Group’s products and services are primarily used for risk management, finance and administration, decision-making and sales and marketing purposes. At the end of 2015, the Group had around 13 000 contractual clients. It serves several industries, the largest ones including finance and banking as well as wholesale and retail sectors and expert service companies. In 2015, the Group’s net sales were EUR 43,7 million and it had 152 employees at the end of 2015. Asiakastieto Group is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki with the ticker ATG1V. More information about Asiakastieto Group is available at www.asiakastieto.fi.
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Source: Asiakastieto Group Oyj via Globenewswire