• Preliminary business figures 2022 confirmed
• Earnings per share increased to € 3.12 (previous year € 2.48)
• Preliminary business figures Q1/2023 show further sales growth
• Outlook 2023:
  • Sales: € 600 - 620 million (2022: € 582 million)
  • Group earnings (after minority interests) of € 32.0 - 34.0 million (2022: € 33.8 million)

Prime Standard-listed GESCO SE, an industrial group of medium-sized market- and technology-leading companies, successfully continued its growth course in the financial year 2022. The good performance across all segments demonstrates the resilience of the GESCO business model and the excellent positioning of the subsidiaries in various future trends.

Despite the once again challenging general conditions in the past financial year, Group sales in 2022 increased by around 19% to €582 million (previous year: €488 million) compared to the previous year. Group earnings for the year again rose disproportionately to the sales to a new record of € 33.8 million (previous year: € 26.9 million). This results in earnings per share of € 3.12 (2021: € 2.48).

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary being listed on the stock exchange, the Management of GESCO SE will propose a dividend of € 1.00 per share at the upcoming Annual General Meeting after a successful financial year. We are convinced that this dividend proposal is comprehensible against the background of the planned growth acquisitions and the simultaneous rise in prices of financial resources. With this proposal we take into account the legitimate interest of shareholders to participate appropriately in the success of the business, but also the interest of the Company to build up liquid funds for upcoming acquisitions.

GESCO Group has again made a good start to the financial year. According to preliminary calculations, sales increased by 7% to € 147 million in the first quarter. Preliminary Group earnings (after minority interests) of € 6.7 million is below the previous year's quarter (€ 8.8 million), but adjusted for positive special items in Q1/2022 came in at a comparable margin level.

For the current financial year, the Executive Board again expects an increase in sales to €600-620 million (2022: €582 million) and Group earnings (after minority interests) of €32.0-34.0 million (2022: €33.8 million).

Ralph Rumberg, CEO of GESCO SE: "We are on the right track with our NEXT LEVEL 25 strategy. Our subsidiaries have established good market positions through the excellence programmes we have introduced. In the current year, we want to work vigorously on our portfolio architecture and the further implementation of our strategy. We have set our sights high: There is still a lot of work ahead of us before we reach our medium-term goals - 3 anchor participations and 12 basic participations."

The complete Annual Report 2022 is available at https://www.gesco.de/en/investor-relations/financial-reports.

The annual press conference can be followed live on the GESCO website from 11:00 a.m. today, 18 April 2023. A video recording of the annual press conference will be available on the GESCO website at https://www.gesco.de/en/investor-relations/financial-reports shortly after the event.

1) As at the balance sheet date
2) Dividend proposal to the Annual General Meeting 2023

About GESCO:

GESCO SE is an industrial group with market- and technology-leading companies in the capital goods industry with a focus on process technology, resource technology and healthcare and infrastructure technology. As a company listed in the Prime Standard, GESCO SE gives private and institutional investors access to a portfolio of hidden champions of the industrial SME sector.

Contact:

Peter Alex
Head of Investor Relations & Communications
Tel. +49 (0) 202 24820-18
Fax +49 (0) 202 24820-49
E-mail: ir@gesco.de
Internet: www.gesco.de