Scout24 AG continues to show strong growth in the first six months of the year, while improving margins

Scout24 AG continues to show strong growth in the first six months of the year, while improving margins

- Group revenue grows by about 20% to more than EUR 300 million
- Ordinary operating EBITDA margin reaches 51.2%
- AutoScout24 delivers compelling high growth
- Management Board confirms targets for full year 2019

Munich/Berlin, 13 August 2019 - Scout24 AG, a leading operator of digital marketplaces specialising in the real estate and automotive sectors in Germany and other selected European countries, is continuing its dynamic and very profitable growth path. In the first six months of 2019, the company posted double-digit growth rates for both revenue and earnings. Scout24 is thus fully on track to reach its targets for the full year and, in turn, achieve an increase in revenue of between 15% and 17% combined with an ordinary operating EBITDA margin of between 52% and 54%. The continuation of profitable growth will be driven by the Scout24 strategic measures announced in mid-July.

For the first six months of 2019, Scout24 increased Group revenue by 19.7% to EUR 300.7 million (H1 2018: EUR 251.2 million). Adjusted for consolidation effects^[1], the growth rate was equivalent to 13.6%. The Group's ordinary operating EBITDA grew by 10.9% to EUR 153.9 million (H1 2018: EUR 138.8 million). Like-for-like, the adjusted growth rate of 14.3% thus exceeded the revenue growth rate. In the first six months of the year, the ordinary operating EBITDA margin reached 51.2%, thus also exceeding the comparable value of the previous-year period (H1 2018 adjusted: 50.8%; H1 2018: 55.2%). Scout24 was able to significantly increase its cash contribution by 18.6% to EUR 143.1 million (H1 2018: EUR 120.7 million).
^[1] I.e. taking into account the contribution of FINANZCHECK.de for the full year 2018 and without the contributions of the deconsolidated entities AS24 Spain and classmarkets in 2018

All operating segments of Scout24 AG contributed to these outstanding results in the first half of the year with strong revenue growth in the high single-digit to double-digit range. ImmobilienScout24 and AutoScout24 were able to benefit from their strong business customer base and increased revenue per customer, while the acquisition and consolidation of FINANZCHECK.de had a positive impact on the Scout24 Consumer Services segment.

On 19 July 2019, Scout24 announced its strategic roadmap to enhance long-term value creation. The associated further development of the strategy encompasses the autonomous positioning of the core verticals ImmobilienScout24 ("IS24") and AutoScout24 ("AS24"). The products and solutions of the third operating segment so far, Consumer Services ("CS"), will be integrated into IS24 and AS24. In addition, the operating efficiency will be optimized further.

Backed by the sustained high generation of free cash flow, the aim is also to further optimise the capital structure. Aside from capital expenditure in the core verticals, distributions to the shareholders, and a further decrease in debt, a share buy-back programme will be started totalling EUR 300 million of the current share capital.

"We are very satisfied with the strong growth in revenue and earnings in the first six months of the year. As we have laid out in our strategic roadmap on July 19, we are fully committed to strengthen the focus on our two key verticals to sharpen operational efficiency and provide greater flexibility to pursue strategic options for two more autonomous verticals, ImmoScout24 and AutoScout24. In continuing to assess the merits of such flexibility we have commenced a strategic review of alternatives for AutoScout24 with the objective to enhance long-term shareholder value. An update on the progress of this review will be provided at our Capital Markets Day on November 26," Tobias Hartmann, CEO of Scout24 AG, said in reference to the development.

Overview of financial indicators

The table below provides a detailed overview of the Group's financial indicators in the first six months and the second quarter ended 30 June 2019.

* Advertising revenue with OEM partner agencies and the corresponding ordinary operating EBITDA is no longer reported in the AutoScout24 segment as of 1 January 2019 but rather in the Scout24 Consumer Services segment due to the close structural relationship with Third-Party Display Revenue; the figures of the previous year have been restated accordingly.

¹ Ordinary operating EBITDA refers to EBITDA adjusted for non-operating effects, which mainly include restructuring expenses, expenses in connection with the Company's capital structure and company acquisitions (realised and unrealised), costs for strategic projects as well as effects on profit or loss from share-based payment programmes. The ordinary operating EBITDA margin of a segment is defined as ordinary operating EBITDA as a percentage of external segment revenue.
² EBITDA is defined as profit before net finance expenses, income taxes, depreciation and amortisation, impairment losses and gains or losses on the sale of subsidiaries.
³ Cash contribution is defined as ordinary operating EBITDA less capital expenditure (adjusted).
⁴ The cash conversion rate is defined as ordinary operating EBITDA less capital expenditure divided by ordinary operating EBITDA.
5 Capital expenditure (adjusted) does not include capital expenditure made due to the application of IFRS 16.

The Group interim report for the first half and second quarter of 2019 including the interim consolidated financial statements and additional details on segment level is available at www.scout24.com/financial-reports.

Business performance of the Group: Significant improvement in revenue and earnings

Scout24 once again performed very successfully in the first six months of 2019, buoyed by strong growth in the AutoScout24 and Consumer Services segments as well as sustained positive momentum in the ImmobilienScout24 segment. Group revenue rose in the first six months of 2019 by 19.7% to EUR 300.7 million (H1 2018: EUR 251,2 million). Adjusted for consolidation effects, the growth rate came to 13,6% (H1 2018 adjusted revenue: EUR 264.7 million).

The Group's ordinary operating EBITDA increased in the first six months of 2019 to EUR 153.9 million (H1 2018: EUR 138.8 million; adjusted: EUR 134.6 million), while the corresponding margin reached 51.2% (H1 2018 adjusted: 50.8%; H1 2018: 55.2%). This is equivalent to a growth rate of 10.9% in relation to the previous year, or of 14.3% on an adjusted basis.

The Group's EBITDA decreased in the first six months of 2019 by 7.1% to EUR 121.7 million (H1 2018: EUR 131.0 million). The increase was attributable to the consolidation of FINANZCHECK.de as well as the ongoing migration of the data centre solutions to the cloud, for example. EBITDA includes non-operating costs of EUR 32.2 million (H1 2018: EUR 7.8 million), which mainly comprise personnel expenses (EUR 22.9 million, mainly in connection with share-based compensation (EUR 21.5 million), and costs related to M&A activities as well as post-merger integration (EUR 8.8 million). The Group's net profit for the reporting period attributable to shareholders of the parent company amounted to EUR 52.1 million (H1 2018: EUR 66.4 million), resulting in basic earnings per share of EUR 0.48 (H1 2018: EUR 0.62).

With the revenue growth of 19.7% (adjusted for consolidation effects: 13.6%) and the ordinary operating EBITDA margin of 51.2% in the first six months of 2019, the Group reaffirms targets communicated in the 2018 annual report: revenue growth between 15.0% and 17.0% and an ordinary operating EBITDA margin between 52.0% and 54.0%.

ImmobilienScout24 (IS24) with continued positive development

* Includes a contribution for Q2 2018 of around EUR 0.6 million (H1 2018: EUR 1.1 million) from classmarkets, which has been deconsolidated in the meantime, and ordinary operating EBITDA of around EUR 0.2 million (H1 2018: EUR 0.3 million).
** Only reported on a six-monthly basis.

External revenue in the IS24 segment grew by 8.2% to EUR 132.3 million in the reporting period compared with the previous year (H1 2018: EUR 122.3 million). Adjusted for consolidation effects, revenue grew by 9.1%, which is in line with the outlook for the full year 2019 (revenue growth of between 8.0% and 10.0% and on an adjusted basis between 9.0% and 11.0%). This development was driven by Revenue with Business Real Estate Partners and Revenue with Residential Real Estate Partners as a result of the improved monetisation of the existing contractual customer base, combined with a further increase in the number of real estate partners compared with the previous year.

At 14,850, the number of residential real estate partners at the end of the first six months of 2019 was 3.8% higher than in the previous year (H1 2018: 14,301). The number of business real estate partners increased by 0.8% to 2,808 (H1 2018: 2,785). Average revenue per customer and month ("ARPU") from residential real estate partners (contractual) improved by 5.1% to EUR 659 (H1 2018: EUR 626). ARPU from business real estate partners increased by 13.0% to EUR 1,715 (H1 2018: EUR 1,517). Revenue with Private Listers and Others in the first six months of 2019 of EUR 36.3 million was slightly below the 2018 comparative period (H1 2018: EUR 36.9 million), above all due to the deconsolidation of classmarkets in December 2018. On a comparable basis, i.e. without taking into account classmarkets' contribution in the first six months of 2018, revenue essentially remained stable (H1 2018 adjusted: EUR 35.9 million). Ordinary operating EBITDA increased by 7.9% compared with the previous year to EUR 90.2 million. The ordinary operating EBITDA margin reached 68.2% (H1 2018: 68.3%; adjusted: 68.7%) and is thus on track to fulfilling the expectations of up to 70.0% for the full year.

AutoScout24 (AS24) continues to deliver dynamic growth

* Advertising revenue with OEM partner agencies and the corresponding ordinary operating EBITDA is no longer reported in the AutoScout24 segment as of 1 January 2019 but rather in the Scout24 Consumer Services segment due to the close structural relationship with Third-Party Display Revenue; the figures of the previous year have been restated accordingly.
** Includes a contribution for Q2 2018 of around EUR 1.5 million (H1 2018: EUR 2.9 million) from AS24 Spain, which has been deconsolidated in the meantime, and ordinary operating EBITDA of around EUR 0.9 million (H1 2018: EUR 1.6 million).
*** Only reported on a six-monthly basis..
External revenue in the AS24 segment increased in the first six months of 2019 by 15.5% to EUR 91.5 million (H1 2018: EUR 79.2 million). Adjusted for consolidation effects, revenue grew by 20.0%, The development of revenue in the first six months of 2019 thus exceeded expectations for the full year (adjusted revenue growth of between 12.0% and 14.0% and an unadjusted revenue growth rate of between 9.0% and 11.0%). The sustained positive development is mainly attributable to the higher ARPU from dealer customers, both in Germany and in the other European Core Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy and Austria). Both are benefitting from improved monetisation of the customer base and the success of the MIA product range. Whereas the number dealer partners in Germany was still in decline in the first quarter of 2019, dealer numbers steadied again in the second quarter of 2019. All measures to optimise the customer base are expected to be completed by the end of 2019 as planned. The number of dealer partners in the European Core Countries remained largely stable compared with the first six months of 2018. Thanks to the improved monetisation and the optimisation of the customer base, AS24 reported a 44.6% increase in ARPU in Germany and an increase of 20.6% in the European Core Countries (H1 2019: EUR 326 and EUR 321 respectively; H1 2018: EUR 226 and EUR 266 respectively). This led to a correspondingly significant improvement in ordinary operating EBITDA of 31.2% to EUR 51.2 million (H1 2018: EUR 39.1 million), or of 36.9% on an adjusted basis (H1 2018 adjusted: EUR 37.4 million). The ordinary operating EBITDA margin increased by 6.7 percentage points, and thus stood at 56.0% in the first six months of 2019 (H1 2018: 49.3% or H1 2018 adjusted: 49.1%). The ordinary operating EBITDA margin for the first six months of 2019 thus exceeded the expectations for the full year of up to 54.0%.

Scout24 Consumer Services (CS) with significant increase in margin relative to the previous quarter

* Advertising revenue with OEM partner agencies and the corresponding ordinary operating EBITDA is no longer reported in the AutoScout24 segment as of 1 January 2019 but rather in the Scout24 Consumer Services segment due to the close structural relationship with Third-Party Display Revenue; the figures of the previous year have been restated accordingly.

The CS segment generated external revenue of EUR 76.9 million in the first six months of 2019, up 55.1% on the first six months of 2018 (H1 2018: EUR 49.5 million). A key factor contributing to the increase compared with the first six months of 2018 was the acquisition and subsequent consolidation of FINANZCHECK.de, which impacted Revenue with Finance Partners. Adjusted revenue growth, i.e. as if FINANZCHECK.de had already been part of the Scout24 Group since 1 January 2018, was 14.6% in the first six months of 2019. Up 33.3%, Services Revenue also made a substantial contribution to total revenue growth in the CS segment, in particular due to the continued success of Premium Membership. Third-Party Display Revenue performed solidly at 5.6% (adjusted: 8.7%). At EUR 16.6 million, the segment's ordinary operating EBITDA was, as previously announced, below last year's level on account of the negative contribution from FINANZCHECK.de (H1 2018: EUR 19.9 million). The ordinary operating EBITDA margin thus reached 21.6% in the first six months of 2019 (H1 2018: 40.2%; adjusted: 26.3%). Reflecting the advertising expenses, as is customary in the sector, in the first quarter of 2019, the margin increased substantially over the course of the year, already reaching 29.8% in the second quarter of 2019 (Q1 2019: 13.3%).

The CS segment is thus on track to achieving the targets communicated in the 2018 annual report: adjusted revenue growth of between 15.0% and 17.0%, slight decrease in the ordinary operating EBITDA margin as a result of the negative FINANZCHECK.de contribution although it should still reach up to 30.0%).

Outlook

Scout24 has closed the first six months of 2019 successfully, with 19.7% revenue growth and an ordinary operating EBITDA margin of 51.2%. The Group is thus on track to fulfilling the forecast for the 2019 financial year as published in the 2018 annual report.

The Management Board expects this growth momentum to continue in the last six months of 2019 and Group revenue to grow by 15.0% to 17.0% in the 2019 financial year as forecast so far. Adjusted for consolidation effects - i.e. taking into account the contribution of FINANZCHECK.de for the full year 2018 and excluding the contributions of the deconsolidated entities AS24 Spain and classmarkets in 2018 - the percentage growth rate will range between the low to mid-teens. In view of further investment in the growth of FINANZCHECK.de, an ordinary operating EBITDA margin ranging between 52.0% and 54.0% is anticipated. Adjusted for consolidation effects, this corresponds to a low single-digit percentage increase in the margin, as Scout24 continues to benefit from the business model's scalability and the resulting operating leverage. In addition, the Management Board expects the cost base to rise at a slower rate in the last six months than in the first six months of 2019.

Non-operating costs of EUR 32.3 million were incurred in the first six months of 2019. This figure includes personnel expenses of EUR 21.5 million from share-based payments. These have exceeded the level forecast for the full 2019 financial year (EUR 16.0 million) by EUR 5.5 million in the first six months of 2019, above all due to the positive development of the share price and the associated development of the performance factors. If share price developments in the last six months of 2019 are as dynamic as in the first six months, we expect personnel expenses from share-based payments of around EUR 12.0 million in the last six months of 2019, which would bring the total for the full financial year to roughly EUR 33.5 million. In addition, non-recurring costs of EUR 8.8 million attributable to strategic and M&A transactions as well as post-merger integration were incurred in the first six months of 2019 (forecast for 2019 financial year: EUR 7.0 million). For the last six months of 2019, the Management Board expects expenses totalling approximately EUR 2.0 million, mainly for continued post-merger integration (full 2019 financial year: up to EUR 10.8 million). Non-recurring reorganisation expenses are not expected to exceed EUR 4.0 million. The Management Board thereby expect non-operating costs of around EUR 50.0 million for the 2019 financial year.

Finally, the Management Board continues to expect capital expenditure (adjusted) to add up to around EUR 25.0 million.

For the IS24 segment, the Management Board anticipates revenue growth adjusted for consolidation effects for 2019 of between 9.0% and 11.0%, with an expected unadjusted revenue growth rate between 8.0% and 10.0%. The growth is mainly driven by ARPU growth with our agent customers in residential real estate as well as commercial real estate backed by stable customer regain and new acquisition rates coupled with low customer churn. Ordinary operating EBITDA is expected to reach a slightly higher growth rate as a result of operating leverage. The ordinary operating EBITDA margin for the full year 2019 should thus climb to as much as 70.0%.

For the AS24 segment, the Management Board expects in 2019 an increase in external revenue for the still fully consolidated entities of between 12.0% and 14.0%. That corresponds to an unadjusted revenue growth rate of between 9.0% and 11.0%. For AS24, the main driver of revenue growth is likewise ARPU growth of our dealer customers, especially in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Austria. Revenue growth is slightly burdened through the expected lower growth in project revenue with OEMs owing to longer project lead times. Furthermore, our platform for commercial vehicles ("TruckScout24") was sold as of 1 April 2019 as planned, which is why we expect to see revenue decrease by an amount in the low single-digit millions here. Owing to the operating leverage, the Management Board expects growth of ordinary operating EBITDA to exceed revenue growth. The ordinary operating EBITDA margin for 2019 should thus climb to as much as 54.0%.

Scout24 Consumer Services' adjusted external revenue (i.e. as if FINANZCHECK.de had already been part of the Scout24 Group since 2018) will likely increase in 2019 by between 15.0% and 17.0%. That corresponds to an unadjusted revenue growth percentage rate ranging between the high 30s and low 40s. Revenue growth will mainly be driven by increased use of our offerings along the real estate and automotive value chains, particularly in the brokerage of consumer loans including in mortgage and car financing, credit checks and premium membership. Despite the negative contribution of FINANZCHECK.de, as announced, the ordinary operating EBITDA margin will still reach as much as 30.0%.
 

Conference call
On Tuesday, 13 August 2019, 2 p.m. CEST, Scout24 will host a conference call and webcast for financial analysts and investors. You can dial in using the following numbers:

DE: +4969201744220
UK: +442030092470
USA: +18774230830
Participant PIN code: 66678258#

The webcast, as well as a replay of the conference call, will be made available at:
https://webcasts.eqs.com/scout2420190813
 

Next events and reports
The Annual General Meeting of Scout24 AG will take place in Munich on Friday, 30 August 2019.

Scout24 plans to publish the interim report for the first nine months of the 2019 financial year on Thursday, 7 November 2019.

Scout24 plans to host a Capital Market Day on 26 November 2019.
 

About Scout24
With our leading digital marketplaces ImmobilienScout24 in Germany and Austria and AutoScout24 across Europe we are creating a connected network for living and mobility. More than 1,500 employees empower our users to find their new home or their new car quickly and easily. Individual additional services, such as the brokerage of relocation services or construction and car financing, by Scout24 Consumer Services support this purpose. Scout24 AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN: DE000A12DM80, G24). For further information, please visit www.scout24.com, our Corporate Blog and Tech Blogor follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.


Investor relations

Britta Schmidt
Vice President Investor Relations & Controlling
Tel.: +49 89 44456 3278
Email: [email protected]
 

Media relations

Jan Flaskamp
Vice President Communications & Marketing
Tel.: +49 30 24301 0721
Email: [email protected]
 

Disclaimer:
All information contained in this document has been carefully prepared. However, no reliance may be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this document or on its completeness. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is given by or on behalf of the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees or any other person as to the accuracy and/or completeness of the information contained in this document and no liability whatsoever is accepted by the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees nor any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of such information or opinions or otherwise arising in connection therewith.

The information contained in this release is subject to amendment, revision and updating. Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this document are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, senior management's current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results, including but not limited to the Company's financial position or profitability, to differ materially, also adversely, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Statements contained in this document regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this document (including forward-looking statements), whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Scout24 also uses alternative performance measures, not defined by IFRS, to describe the Scout24 Group's results of operations. These should not be viewed in isolation, but treated as supplementary information. The special items used to calculate some alternative performance measures arise from the integration of acquired businesses, restructuring measures, impairments, gains or losses resulting from divestitures and sales of shareholdings, and other expenses and income that generally do not arise in conjunction with Scout24's ordinary business activities. Alternative performance measures used by Scout24 are defined in the "Glossary" section of Scout24's Group Interim Report 2019 which is available at www.scout24.com/finanzberichte.

Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this statement may not add up precisely to the totals indicated, and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures for the same reason.