LANDSBERG AM LECH (dpa-AFX) - Professional kitchen specialist Rational AG (RTLLF.PK) reported that its earnings before interest and taxes or EBIT for the fiscal year 2018 rose to 205 million euros from 188 million euros last year.
Sales revenues increased by 11 percent or 76 million euros to 778 million euros from the previous year's 702 million euros.
The Supervisory Board and Executive Board will propose another increase in the dividend from 8.80 euros per share to 9.50 euros per share at the 2019 General Meeting of Shareholders. The Company is thus increasing the basic dividend for the tenth year in a row.
Rational said it created more than 220 new jobs around the world in 2018, thus investing once again in the company's personnel development. Around half of the new jobs were created in Germany. The company also plans to create a similar number of new jobs in 2019.
In connection with very considerable market potential and the conditions for further profitable growth created internally, RATIONAL AG's Executive Board continues to look ahead optimistically.
'Due to successful development in all regions of the world, particularly in our newer markets of the Americas and Asia, we are very confident of being able to continue our growth course with high single-digit sales revenue growth in 2019,' said Dr Peter Stadelmann, CEO of RATIONAL AG.
The RATIONAL CEO expects an EBIT margin of around 26 percent for 2019.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX