DGAP-News: KTG Agrar erneut mit Investmentgrade Rating ausgezeichnet
(firmenpresse) - DGAP-News: KTG Agrar SE / Key word(s): Bond
KTG Agrar erneut mit Investmentgrade Rating ausgezeichnet
27.11.2013 / 09:15
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- BBB- rating
- Successful investments: farmland, biogas, food, staff
- Earnings phase has started
Hamburg, 27 November 2013 - KTG Agrar SE (ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4), a German
agricultural company, has again been awarded an investment grade rating
from Creditreform Rating AG. In the annual update, KTG Agrar has been rated
BBB-. So the KTG Agrar has again been certified with a satisfying financial
strength in an above-average assessment compared to the industry and to the
economy. 'Over the past years, we have made massive investments in the very
substance of KTG Agrar while at the same time maintaining our excellent
creditworthiness,' says Siegfried Hofreiter. 'Investments in agriculture,
food production and biogas plants need time, but meanwhile we are
increasingly reaping the fruits of these investments. Today KTG produces
food for 1.5 million people and green energy for about 350,000 people in
the heart of Europe.'
Investment phase largely completed
Since the issue of the first corporate bond in 2010, KTG Agrar has invested
over EUR 150 million in its assets and built up considerable hidden
reserves. The total arable land increased from 30,000 hectares to more than
40,000 hectares, with the percentage of own farmland rising from 18.7% to
23.7% during the same time. In addition, the renewable energy production
capacity was increased almost fourfold from 11 megawatts to 41 megawatts,
and KTG Agrar's subsidiary, KTG Energie AG, was taken public. In parallel
to the investments in farmland and biogas, KTG Agrar effectively extended
its value chain by adding a food production segment. The latter is composed
of Frenzel Tiefkühlkost and Biozentrale Naturprodukte, two strong brands
operating in the conventional and organic food sector, which have
successfully been integrated into the Group. Both companies have returned
to growth and will complete the operational turnaround in 2014. In response
to high demand, an additional processing plant for KTG crops in Manschnow,
east of Berlin, was rented in October, with KTG Agrar holding a purchase
option. Moreover, KTG acquiredÖlmühle Anklam and established a
state-of-the-art fresh produce processing centre for sorting and packaging
vegetables in Linthe near Berlin. 2013 also saw the company develop a new
food brand, 'die Landwirte', which was presented at the ANUGA trade fair,
where it convinced a leading German retailer, who will list the brand
starting 2014.
Says Siegfried Hofreiter: 'We primarily invest and grow in the rural area
and thus create jobs in structurally weak regions.' Between June 2010 and
today, the company's headcount increased from 200 to over 800.
Earnings phase has started
Thanks to the massive investments, sales revenues and earnings have been
growing increasingly dynamically. The KTG Group is now working to optimise
the synergies between the individual units and will make additional
selective investments. In this context, KTG Agrar has set itself a clearly
defined target, namely to pass the EUR 0.25 billion sales mark no later
than 2015 (2012 sales: EUR 110 million). The company is well on track to
reach this target, with sales revenues in the high-margin biogas segment
alone projected to increase from EUR 32 millionto EUR 50 million in 2013.
The food segment is also expected to grow strongly and to generate revenues
in excess of EUR 100 million in two to three years' time. The other
business segments will also continue to show a positive performance.
About KTG Agrar
With cultivable land of more than 40,000 hectares, KTG Agrar AG (ISIN:
DE000A0DN1J4) is one of the leading producers of agricultural commodities
in Europe. As an integrated supplier, the company produces agricultural
commodities and renewable energy and food. The Hamburg-based company's core
area of expertise is the organic and traditional cultivation of market
products such as cereals, maize and rapeseed. For organic market products
KTG Agrar is the European market leader. The company mainly produces in
Germany but has also operated production in the EU member state of
Lithuania since 2005. As a result of the takeover of Frenzel Tiefkühlkost
and Biozentrale Naturprodukte, KTG has expanded the value chain by the
production of food. In the year 2012, KTG achieved a total output of EUR
168 million and EBIT of EUR 29.5 million. Since November 2007 the company
is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and had 591 employees at year end
2012. Further information can be found at www.ktg-agrar.de.
Contact
Investor Relations / Presse
Fabian Lorenz
IR.on AG
Phone: +49 221 914097-6
E-mail: fabian.lorenz(at)ir-on.com
End of Corporate News
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27.11.2013 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a
company of EQS Group AG.
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Language: English
Company: KTG Agrar SE
Ferdinandstr. 12
20095 Hamburg
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)40-303 76-47
Fax: +49 (0)40-303 76-799
E-mail: presse(at)ktg-agrar.de
Internet: www.ktg-agrar.de
ISIN: DE000A0DN1J4, DE000A1H3VN9, DE000A1ELQU9,
WKN: A0DN1J , A1H3VN, A1ELQU
Indices: HASPAX
Listed: Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, München
(m:access), Stuttgart; Frankfurt in Open Market (Entry
Standard)
End of News DGAP News-Service
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241860 27.11.2013
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Datum: 27.11.2013 - 09:15 Uhr
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News-ID 320680
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