Sopra Steria Group: Revenue for 1st quarter 2015: €872.0 million

Regulatory News:

Sopra Steria Group (Paris:SOP) announces revenue of €872.0 million for the first quarter of 2015, representing organic growth of 2.4%.

Comments on business activity in 1^st quarter 2015

Sopra Steria Group posted revenue of €872.0 million for the first quarter of 2015, representing a significant increase mainly due to the consolidation of Steria as from the month of August 2014 and that of HR Access Service as from July 2014. At constant scope and exchange rates, organic growth was 2.4%.

In France, where the overall context is showing signs of improvement, the Group made a good start to the year, posting revenue of €333.3 million for the first quarter, which represents organic growth of 1.2%.

• Consulting & Systems Integration generated revenue of €281.3 million, representing organic growth of 2.2%. The entity demonstrated strong momentum, reaping the first commercial benefits of the merger between Sopra and Steria, which significantly raises the stature of the new combined Group in the eyes of major clients. By way of example, a large-scale SAP transformation contract was signed at the start of the year with one of the leading French players in the aerospace and defence sector. More recently, the Group was retained by the French defence ministry to develop Source Solde, the future payroll system for the armed forces.
• Infrastructure & Security Services (I2S), whose infrastructure management unit is the focus of turnaround efforts, saw a 4.1% organic decline for the first quarter, corresponding to revenue of €52.0 million. For its part, the cybersecurity unit recorded a significant increase in orders in 1^st quarter 2015 and is showing bright promise.

In the United Kingdom, the Group posted revenue of €251.6 million, representing organic growth of 1.5%. This market offers many opportunities but in the short term the upcoming general election in May 2015 is instilling a sense of caution in the public sector. Nevertheless, Sopra Steria remains confident in its ability to deliver organic growth over the financial year as a whole and reaffirms its ambition to build its business in the private sector, particularly in the financial services vertical market.

In Other Europe, the Group generated revenue of €169.9 million, representing organic growth of 2.4%. Contrasting trends are shaping results for the countries within this grouping. In Germany, following a particularly difficult year in 2014, the situation is beginning to show signs of stabilisation. Operations have been reorganised in this country and the Group has put in place a specific assistance programme for the local management team. The decline was limited to 4.2% for the first quarter, which represents a considerable improvement over the previous quarters (11.2% decline for the 2014 financial year). In Spain and Italy, business activity was robust, with double-digit growth. In Scandinavia, where priority is being given to improving profitability, organic revenue growth was 3.1%.

Sopra Banking Software posted revenue of €69.0 million for the first quarter of 2015, representing organic growth of 7.6%. Business was on a growth track in France, notably thanks to the signing of La Banque Postale contract, and in the Middle East/Africa. Overall, the market presents good business opportunities, for Platform as well as Amplitude products, for which R&D investments are being maintained at high levels.

Continuing the trend seen in 2014, Other Solutions benefited from strong sales momentum and made a good start to the year. Revenue came to €48.2 million for the quarter, representing total growth of 33.5% and organic growth of 8.0%. The HR Access product line, selected to form the basis for France’s new armed forces payroll system, strengthens its positioning in the market. In addition, the unit dedicated to real estate software solutions made further market share gains.

Workforce

At 31 March 2015, the Group’s total workforce comprised 36,943 people (37,358 as of 31 December 2014).

Outlook

In 2015, Sopra Steria aims to achieve revenue growth, at constant structure and exchange rates. In terms of profitability, the Group has set a full-year 2015 target for operating margin on business activity at around 6%, with a significant seasonality impact between the first and second halves of the year.

Upcoming events

Thursday, 25 June 2015: Annual General Meeting of Shareholders – 2:30 p.m. / Shangri-la Hotel, Paris.

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, European leader in digital transformation, provides one of the most comprehensive portfolios of end to end service offerings in the market: Consulting, Systems Integration, Software Development, Infrastructure Management and Business Process Services. Sopra Steria is trusted by leading private and public organisations to deliver successful transformation programmes that address their most complex and critical business challenges. Combining high quality and performance services, added-value and innovation, Sopra Steria enables its clients to make the best use of information technology. With 37,000 employees in over 20 countries, Sopra Steria had pro forma revenue of €3.4 billion in 2014.

Sopra Steria Group (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) - ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, please visit our website www.soprasteria.com

Annexes