The assembly of Ivy approved the 2018 budget on Tuesday, closed with a group turnover amounting to 6.626,4 million euros, an increase of 8% on the year. For the first time the gross operating margin was over one billion (1,031,1 million euros, +4,7%), while a Net income it reached 296,6 million (+11,2%).
- investments amounted to 462,6 million (+5%), while the net financial position stood at 2.585,6 million euro (2.523 million euro in 2017).
The shareholders' meeting also approved the Board's proposal to distribute a dividend of 10 cents euros per share, up on the past.
The financial statements were presented by the managing director of Hera, Stefano Venier, in front of 677 shareholders, representing 59,07% of the share capital. 99,34% voted in favour; 0,58% against, 0,07% abstentions.
“The debt-to-Ebitda ratio, which reaches the level of 2.5, gives us the space and flexibility to plan an investment path that is even more sustained than that of recent years – said Veneir – or also to follow some opportunities that may arise on the market in terms of acquisitions. As we have already done and which is part of our history”.
Venier also focused on Hera's total customers, a base "that has grown by almost 90 thousand units in just one year: once again it turns out to be one of the most significant growth rates, if not the most significant at a national level".
"I think it is the third or fourth year in a row - continues Venier - in which the group appears to be the Italian company with the greatest commercial growth on the market in the whole context, superior to the large operators and foreign operators, testimony to the effectiveness with which we manage to direct this competitive market, in terms of offer and customer management".
The future goal, added Venier, is to go from over 2,5 million current customers, a "significant number but which does not satisfy us in terms of business plan", to "exceed 3 million customers". A goal, explained the CEO of Hera, which "could take place both through organic development in the next few years", but also in the event that "a transaction in which we participate, linked to the sale of customers by the company, were to be successfully completed veneta Ascopiave which is underway, with respect to which we presented a proposal together with other operators last week".
