Excellent start into 2012 – Fresenius raises outlook

Q1/2012:

• Sales*: €4.4 billion (+13% at actual rates, +10% in constant currency)
• EBIT: €661 million (15% at actual rates, +12% in constant currency)
• Net income**: €200 million (+18% at actual rates, +15% in constant currency)

The preliminary financial results, announced on April 26, 2012, remain unchanged.

Group outlook*** 2012 raised
Based on the Group's excellent financial results in the first quarter of 2012, Fresenius raises its guidance. For 2012, Fresenius now expects net income** growth of 12% to 15% in constant currency. Previously, the Company expected net income growth of 8% to 11%. Sales* growth of 10% to 13% in constant currency is now projected at the upper end of the targeted range.

The Group plans to invest ~5% of sales in property, plant and equipment.

The net debt/EBITDA ratio is projected to be ≤3.0 at year end.

*Previous year's sales were adjusted according to a U.S. GAAP accounting change. The sales adjustment of -€39 million in Q1 2011 and of -€161 million for the full year 2011 solely relate to Fresenius Medical Care North America.
**Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA – adjusted for a non-taxable investment gain of €30 million at Fresenius Medical Care; 2011 adjusted for the effects of mark-to-market accounting of the Mandatory Exchangeable Bonds and the Contingent Value Rights.
***Before effects of the announced Rhön-Klinikum AG acquisition

Sales growth of 10% in constant currency
Group sales increased by 13% (10% in constant currency) to €4,419 million (Q1 2011*: €3,923 million). Organic sales growth was 5%. Acquisitions contributed a further 5%. Currency translation had a positive effect of 3%. This is mainly attributable to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro by 4% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the first quarter of 2011.

Sales in the business segments developed as follows:



Organic sales growth in North America was 2%, in Europe 5%. Organic sales growth was again strong in Asia-Pacific with 11% and in Latin America with 18%. Sales in Africa were impacted by the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.




*Previous year's sales were adjusted according to a U.S. GAAP accounting change. The sales adjustment of -€39 million in Q1 2011 and of -€161 million for the full year 2011 solely relate to Fresenius Medical Care North America.


Excellent earnings growth
Group EBITDA grew by 14% (11% in constant currency) to €838 million (Q1 2011: €737 million). Group EBIT increased by 15% (12% in constant currency) to €661 million (Q1 2011: €575 million). The EBIT margin improved by 30 basis points to 15.0% (Q1 2011: 14.7%).

Group net interest was -€147 million (Q1 2011: -€135 million). Lower average interest rates were more than offset by incremental debt due to acquisition financing and currency translation effects.

The Group tax rate* slightly decreased to 30.4% (Q1 2011: 30.7%).

Noncontrolling interest increased to €158 million (Q1 2011: €135 million), of which 93% was attributable to the noncontrolling interest in Fresenius Medical Care.

Group net income** increased by 18% (15% in constant currency) to €200 million (Q1 2011: €170 million). Earnings per share increased by 17% to €1.23 (Q1 2011: €1.05).

Group net income*** including the non-taxable investment gain at Fresenius Medical Care was €230 million or €1.41 per share. This is a non-cash item.

*Adjusted for the non-taxable investment gain at Fresenius Medical Care; 2011 adjusted for the effects of mark-to-market accounting of the Mandatory Exchangeable Bonds
**Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA – adjusted for a non-taxable investment gain of €30 million at Fresenius Medical Care; 2011 adjusted for the effects of mark-to-market accounting of the Mandatory Exchangeable Bonds and the Contingent Value Rights.
***Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

Continued investment in growth
The Fresenius Group spent €151 million on property, plant and equipment (Q1 2011: €136 million). Acquisition spending was €1,927 million (Q1 2011: €311 million). This is primarily due to the completion of Fresenius Medical Care's acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc. as well as of the acquisition of Damp Group by Fresenius Helios.

Strong operating cash flow development
Operating cash flow increased to €538 million (Q1 2011: €278 million), mainly driven by strong earnings growth and tight working capital management. The cash flow margin was 12.2% (Q1 2011: 7.1%). Net capital expenditure was €152 million (Q1 2011: €147 million). Free cash flow before acquisitions and dividends was €386 million (Q1 2011: €131 million). Free cash flow after acquisitions and dividends was -€1,096 million (Q1 2011: -€133 million).

Solid balance sheet structure
The Group's total assets increased by 8% (10% in constant currency) to €28,542 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €26,321 million). Current assets grew by 7% (9% in constant currency) to €7,682 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €7,151 million). Non-current assets increased by 9% (11% in constant currency) to €20,860 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €19,170 million).

Total shareholders' equity increased by 2% (4% in constant currency) to €10,829 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €10,577 million). The equity ratio was 37.9% (Dec. 31, 2011: 40.2%).

Group debt grew by 17% (19% in constant currency) to €11,459 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €9,799 million), primarily resulting from acquisition financing. Net debt increased by 16% (18% in constant currency) to €10,604 million (Dec. 31, 2011: €9,164 million).

In March 2012, Fresenius successfully placed €500 million of senior unsecured notes. Proceeds are used for acquisitions, including the acquisition of the Damp Group, refinancing of short-term debt, and general corporate purposes. The senior notes have a coupon of 4.250%, a maturity of seven years and were issued at par. The transaction was well received by investors and substantially oversubscribed.

As of March 31, 2012, the net debt/EBITDA ratio* was 3.01 (Dec. 31, 2011: 2.83). At identical exchange rates for net debt and EBITDA, the ratio was 2.95.

*Pro forma including Damp Group and Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc.

Number of employees increases
As of March 31, 2012, Fresenius Group increased the number of its employees by 7% to 160,249 (Dec. 31, 2011: 149,351).

Fresenius Biotech
Fresenius Biotech develops innovative therapies with trifunctional antibodies for the treatment of cancer. In the field of polyclonal antibodies, Fresenius Biotech has successfully marketed ATG-Fresenius S for many years. ATG-Fresenius S is an immunosuppressive agent used to prevent and treat graft rejection following organ transplantation.

Fresenius Biotech's sales increased by 11% to €8.1 million compared to €7.3 million in the first quarter of 2011. Sales with the trifunctional antibody Removab grew by 38% to €1.1 million (Q1 2011: €0.8 million). Sales of the immunosuppressive agent ATG Fresenius S increased by 8% to €7.0 million (Q1 2011: €6.5 million).
Fresenius Biotech's EBIT was -€6 million (Q1 2011: -€7 million).

For 2012, Fresenius Biotech continues to expect an EBIT of -€25 million to -€30 million.

Business Segments

Fresenius Medical Care
Fresenius Medical Care is the world's leading provider of services and products for patients with chronic kidney failure. As of March 31, 2012, Fresenius Medical Care was treating 253,041 patients in 3,119 dialysis clinics.

• Strong start into 2012 - EBIT margin improvement to 15.5%
• Acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc. closed 
• 2012 outlook confirmed

Sales increased by 9% to US$3,249 million (Q1 20111: US$2,984 million). Organic sales growth was 3%. Acquisitions contributed a further 7%. Currency translation had a negative effect of 1%.

Sales in dialysis services increased by 11% to US$2,478 million (Q1 2011: US$2,233 million). Dialysis product sales grew by 3% to US$771 million (Q1 2011: US$751 million).

In North America sales grew 9% to US$2,105 million (Q1 2011: US$1,925 million). Dialysis services sales grew by 11% to US$1,918 million (Q1 2011: US$1,730 million). Average revenue per treatment for U.S. clinics increased to US$353 in the first quarter of 2012 compared to US$348 in the first quarter of 2011. Dialysis product sales decreased by 4% to US$187 million (Q1 2011: US$195 million) mainly as a result of lower pricing of renal pharmaceuticals.

Sales outside North America ("International" segment) grew by 8% to US$1,136 million (Q1 2011: US$1,055 million). Sales in dialysis services increased by 11% to US$560 million (Q1 2011: US$503 million). Dialysis product sales increased by 4% to US$576 million (Q1 2011: US$552 million). The growth was mainly driven by higher sales of dialysis machines.

EBIT increased by 13% to US$503 million (Q1 2011: US$445 million). The EBIT margin improved to 15.5% (Q1 2011: 14.9%).

The EBIT margin in North America improved by 30 basis points to 16.5% (Q1 2011: 16.2%). The increase in Medicare rates and the growth of the expanded services contributed favorably to this development. In the International segment the EBIT margin improved to 17.2% (Q1 2011: 16.2%).

Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA for the first quarter of 2012 was US$370 million, an increase of 68% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2011. This includes a non-taxable investment gain of US$127 million related to the acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc. (Liberty), including its 51% stake in Renal Advantage Partners, LLC (RAI). The gain is a result of measuring the 49% equity interest in RAI held by the company at its fair value at the time of the Liberty acquisition and is subject to the finalization of the Liberty purchase accounting. Excluding this investment gain, net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA increased by 10% to US$244 million (Q1 2011: US$221 million).

Fresenius Medical Care has closed the acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc., the holding company of Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage effective February 28, 2012. The closing followed the completion of the review of the transaction and issuance of a consent decree by the United States' Federal Trade Commission. In connection with the consent decree, Fresenius Medical Care completed the sale of 44 clinics to Dialysis Newco, Inc. The acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc. is expected to add annual sales of around US$700 million and 201 clinics to Fresenius Medical Care's network for an investment, net of proceeds from divestiture, of approximately US$1.5 billion.

Fresenius Medical Care confirms its sales and earnings outlook for 2012. The company expects sales to grow to around US$14 billion. Net income is expected to grow to around US$1.3 billion and net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is expected to grow to around US$1.14 billion. This does not include the investment gain of approximately US$127 million in the first quarter of 2012.

For further information, please see Fresenius Medical Care's Press Release at www.fmc-ag.com.

*Previous year's sales were adjusted according to a U.S. GAAP accounting change. The sales adjustment amounts to -US$ 52 million in Q1 2011; the 2011 sales adjustment amounts to -US$224 million.
**Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA – adjusted for a non-taxable investment gain of US$127 million in the first quarter 2012.

Fresenius Kabi
Fresenius Kabi offers infusion therapies, intravenously administered generic drugs and clinical nutrition for seriously and chronically ill patients in the hospital and outpatient environments.

• Excellent organic sales growth across all regions
• 2012 outlook raised

Sales increased by 14% to €1,092 million (Q1 2011: €960 million). Organic sales growth of 11% was driven by all regions. Currency translation had an effect of 2%. Acquisitions contributed 1%.

In Europe sales grew by 8% (organic growth: 8%) to €487 million (Q1 2011: €449 million). Sales in North America increased by 15% (organic growth: 10%) to €292 million (Q1 2011: €254 million). Organic sales growth was driven by new product launches and continued competitor supply constraints. In Asia-Pacific sales increased by 28% (organic growth: 20%) to €199 million (Q1 2011: €156 million). Sales in Latin America and Africa increased by 13% (organic growth: 15%) to €114 million (Q1 2011: €101 million).

EBIT grew by 9% to €215 million (Q1 2011: €197 million). EBIT growth was in particular driven by the emerging markets and North America. The EBIT margin was 19.7% (Q1 2011: 20.5%).

Net income* increased by 13% to €98 million (Q1 2011: €87 million).

Based on the excellent financial results in the first quarter of 2012, Fresenius Kabi raises its outlook for 2012 and now forecasts organic sales growth of 6% to 8%. Previously, organic sales growth of 4% to 6% was expected. An EBIT margin of 19.5% to 20% is now projected at the upper end of the targeted range.

Fresenius Kabi will host a Capital Market Day on June 12, 2012 in Bad Homburg to provide an update on the company's strategy and growth prospects.

*Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius Kabi AG

Fresenius Helios
Fresenius Helios is the largest private hospital operator in Germany. HELIOS owns 75 hospitals, including six maximum care hospitals in Berlin-Buch, Duisburg, Erfurt, Krefeld, Schwerin and Wuppertal. HELIOS treats more than 2.7 million patients per year, thereof more than 750,000 inpatients, and operates more than 23,000 beds.

• Strong organic sales growth of 5%
• Acquisition of Damp Group successfully completed 
• 2012 earnings outlook raised

Sales increased by 11% to €717 million (Q1 2011: €648 million). This was driven by strong organic sales growth of 5%. Acquisitions contributed 6% to overall sales growth.

EBIT grew by 17% to €68 million (Q1 2011: €58 million). The EBIT margin improved by 50 basis points to 9.5% (Q1 2011: 9.0%).

Net income* increased by 24% to €41 million (Q1 2011: €33 million).

Sales at the established hospitals grew by 5% to €676 million. EBIT improved by 24% to €72 million. The EBIT margin increased to excellent 10.7% (Q1 2011: 9.0%). Sales of the acquired hospitals (consolidation < 1 year) were €41 million, and, as expected, EBIT was -€4 million. Restructuring of these hospitals is fully on track.

As of March 31, 2012, HELIOS fully consolidates Damp Group. Damp Group was among the ten largest private hospital operators in Germany. Damp Group's 2010 sales were €427 million (without Damp hospital Wismar, divested in the first quarter of 2012).

Based on the excellent financial results in the first quarter of 2012, Fresenius Helios raises its EBIT outlook for 2012. The company now projects EBIT to increase to the upper end of the targeted range of €310 million to €320 million. Fresenius Helios continues to expect organic sales growth of 3% to 5%.

*Net income attributable to shareholders of HELIOS Kliniken GmbH

Fresenius Vamed
Fresenius Vamed offers engineering and services for hospitals and other health care facilities.
 

• Sales and EBIT fully in line with expectations 
• Good order intake of €104 million 
• 2012 outlook confirmed

Sales increased to €142 million (Q1 2011: €140 million). Sales in the project business were €77 million (Q1 2011: €84 million). Sales in the service business increased by 16% to €65 million (Q1 2011: €56 million).

EBIT was €5 million (Q1 2011: €5 million). The EBIT margin reached 3.5% (Q1 2011: 3.6%). Net income* remained at previous year's level of €4 million.

In Q1 2012, Fresenius Vamed had a good order intake of €104 million (Q1 2011: €127 million). Order backlog increased to €872 million as of March 31, 2012 (Dec. 31, 2011: €845 million).

Fresenius Vamed confirms its 2012 outlook and expects sales and EBIT growth of 5% to 10%.

*Net income attributable to shareholders of VAMED AG

 

Analyst Conference Call
As part of the publication of the results for the first quarter of 2012, a conference call will be held on May 3, 2012 at 2 p.m. CET (8 a.m. EDT). All journalists are cordially invited to follow the conference in a live broadcast via the Internet at www.fresenius.com, see Press, Audio/Video Service. Following the call, a recording of the conference will be available as video-on-demand.