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Cegedim: Third Quarter Revenue GrowthPARIS --(Business Wire)-- Regulatory News: Cegedim, a technology and services company specializing in the healthcare field, posted consolidated Q3 2012 revenues of €207.6 million, up 5.4% on a reported basis and 1.4% like for like. Following a second quarter during which economic conditions deteriorated in a number of developed countries and clients put off making decisions, like-for-like* revenues returned to growth in the third quarter even though tough conditions persisted. Cegedim remains confident in its growth potential because its product portfolio meets the needs of a wide variety of markets. In particular, Cegedim's rich and varied offering fits healthcare players' demand for "Digital" products and services. Cegedim has become a significant force in the digital field: in the CRM and strategic data sector, with interactive CRM offerings across multiple mobile devices; in the Healthcare professionals sector, with software solutions and drug databases available on the web and tablet computers, and new solutions that help companies market to patients and doctors; and in the Insurance and Services sector, with the creation of online policyholder benefits verification for the electronic reimbursement platform in France. Last August, Cegedim decided to renew the Performance Improvement Plan it launched in November 2011. All of the costs of the second plan will be recorded in the second half of 2012, and a gross impact of more than €10 million is expected in 2013. Along with revenue growth, this plan is expected to boost the Group's operating cash flow, making it possible to speed up debt reduction. Lastly, the Group believes it will have an adequate level of liquidity to respect its financial commitments.
*at constant scope and exchange rates Like-for-like* revenue growth in the third quarter of 2012 came to 1.4% relative to the same period in 2011. The drop in CRM and strategic data sector revenues was more than offset by the strong growth in the Healthcare professionals and Insurance and Services sectors. The positive impact of the ASP Line acquisition was offset by the sale of Pharmapost, resulting in a net positive contribution to revenues of 0.4%. Currencies made a positive contribution of 3.6%.
*at constant scope and exchange rates Like-for-like* revenue growth over the first nine months of 2012 came to -1.5% relative to the same period in 2011. The drop in CRM and strategic data sector revenues was only partly offset by growth in the Healthcare professionals and Insurance and Services sectors. Acquisitions had no impact on revenue growth, as the impact of the ASP Line acquisition was offset by that of the Pharmapost sale. Currencies made a positive contribution of 2.3%. Analysis of business trends by sector
Third quarter 2012 revenues came to €111.1 million, down 0.8% on a reported basis. Currencies made a positive contribution of 4.7%. The sale of Pharmapost made a negative contribution of 1.1%. Like-for-like* revenues fell 4.3% over the period. Sector revenues over the first nine months of 2012 came to €348.3 million, down 3.6% on a reported basis. The sale of Pharmapost had a negative impact of 0.7%, whereas currencies had a positive impact of 3.0%. Like-for-like* revenues fell 5.9% over the period. In mature markets, even though pharmaceutical companies' continued belt-tightening was a drag on the market research business in the third quarter, the number of CRM solution users is leveling off, and in some countries even increasing. The stabilization of the situation in Italy and Spain in the third quarter is worth noting. On the other hand, Greece and Portugal remain mired in difficulties. The strong growth at SK&A since the start of the year reflects the success of OneKey in the US. SK&A is a California-based company acquired in January 2010 to strengthen the healthcare professional database offering in the US. The Group benefited greatly from growth in emerging countries, with fine performances in - among others - Latin and Central America (double-digit growth), and a ramp-up in market research in China. Cegedim continues its tireless innovation, particularly in digital products and services. Most notably, the new range of CRM products for tablets MI Touch (IOS 6 and Windows 8) offer native integration of functions that create interactive presentations from the digital information generated by healthcare industries. Note that the Group has the first CRM solution that is 100% compatible with tablets running Windows 8. The Group also has specific digital offerings such as ScreenPub that help healthcare companies reach healthcare professionals via their computer screens.
In the third quarter of 2012, sector revenues came to €62.6 million, up 16.6% on a reported basis. The ASP Line acquisition boosted revenues by 3.9% over the quarter. Currencies had a positive impact of 3.4%. Like-for-like* revenues rose 9.2% over the period. Over the first nine months of 2012, sector revenues came to €205.8 million, up 6.1% on a reported basis. The ASP Line and Pharmec acquisitions had a positive impact on revenues of 1.3%, and currencies, a positive impact of 2.0%. Like-for-like* revenues rose 2.8% over the period. The CHS (Cegedim Healthcare Software) division experienced strong growth in the third quarter after a stable first half. This renewed activity was driven principally by strong growth in products for UK pharmacists following their swift adoption of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS). Last autumn, after investing in innovative development for the past few years, Cegedim earned the first EPS certification granted by UK health authorities. The division also benefited from growth in sales to pharmacists in France and the growth of US software publisher Pulse (News - Alert). Point-of-sale advertising in pharmacies and parapharmacies, with RNP, experienced double-digit growth in the third quarter after a tough first half, demonstrating the judiciousness of the business' reorganization and investment in digital media. Lastly, the financial lease company, Cegelease, continued to post brisk growth in the third quarter, just as it did over the first six months of the year. In this sector, the Group also innovates with new digital offerings including:
Sector revenues in the third quarter of 2012 came to €33.8 million, up 8.0% both on a reported basis and like for like. Over the first nine months of 2012, sector revenues came to €106.8 million up 6.3% both on a reported basis and like for like. The pick-up in activity noted in July continued throughout the quarter. Thus, revenue growth is back in line with the pace set in Q4 2011 and Q1 2012 following a second quarter in which growth was only up 2.4%. Growth was principally driven by the double-digit increase in revenue from online third-party payer management services, and the more than 30% growth in Q3 of SRH in France, which provides payroll and HR management outsourcing. Cegedim SRH continues to garner numerous commercial successes. In this sector, the Group is also very well positioned on online offerings, including the planned launch in 2013 - after a favorable test phase involving 6,000 pharmacies - of 100% secure online verification of complementary health insurance benefits, including real-time reimbursement calculation (Visiodroit). Financial resources - Third quarter highlights
On July 3, 2012, Cegedim completed the acquisition of ASP Line, France's fourth-largest publisher of pharmacist software, serving more than 1,300 pharmacies present around the country, thus strengthening Cegedim's leadership position in the pharmacy computerization market in France (see release sent on July 3, 2012). Generating synergies with other Group activities, this acquisition brings with it significant development potential for the years ahead. Financed by internal financing, these activities represent annual revenues of around €9 million and are part of the consolidation scope of Cegedim Group from July 1, 2012.
On September 26, Cegedim received the "Mid Cap Corporate Governance" award, sponsored by L'AGEFI, in recognition of the quality of the transparency and governance practices that the Group has adopted. Significant post-closing transactions and events
On October 3, Cegedim obtained the consent of its banking partners (Banc of America, Banque Palatine, BNP Paribas, BRED Banque Populaire, Caisse Régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel Centre Loire, CIC, Crédit Lyonnais, HSBC France, Société Générale) under the credit facility to amend certain covenants thereunder. This consent signals the continued confidence of our banking partners in the Group (see release sent on October 3, 2012). Cegedim, which was in compliance with its covenants under the credit facility as of June 30, 2012, has agreed additional headroom under its leverage and interest cover financial covenants as set out in the following table.
In relation to these changes, Cegedim has agreed to change the applicable margins under the credit facilities as follows:
Cegedim has also agreed to:
To the best of the company's knowledge, there have been no other significant events since the closing date. 2012 outlook In a tough environment, the Group remains confident in its growth potential, while continuing to prioritize innovation, deleveraging and its Performance Improvement Program. Despite a satisfactory performance in Q3 2012, the Group prefers to remain cautious and therefore confirming that it expects a slight increase in revenue in 2012 combined with a very slight decrease of its EBITDA compared to 2011. The Group also confirms that it has no plans to make further acquisitions by the end of the year. Financial calendar
January 15, 2013
March 4, 2013, after the market closes
March 5, 2013, at 11:30 am
May 6, 2013, after the market closes
July 30, 2013, after the market closes
September 19, 2013, after the market closes
September 20, 2013
November 7, 2013, after the market closes
Additional information The Audit committees and the Board of Directors met in the presence of the Statutory Auditors on November 7 and 8, 2012, to examine Q3 2012 revenue figures. Complete financial information is available on our website: www.cegedim.com/finance. A presentation of Cegedim's third quarter revenues is also available on the website (www.cegedim.com/finance). Appendices
# Figures rounded to the nearest unit * at constant scope and exchange rates FY 2012
FY 2011
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