EANS-News: USU Software AG / USU announces final figures for fourth quarter and 2008 as a whole

• Strong final quarter with significant increase in sales and EBITDA
• Year as a whole within adjusted expectations
• Proposed dividend
payment of EUR 0.15 per share
• High level of liquidity and solid
financing with no bank liabilities
• Sales and earnings expected to
grow in current fiscal year

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finances/Final figures for fourth quarter and for 2008 as a whole

Möglingen (euro adhoc) - Möglingen (Germany), March 24, 2009

USU Software AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU28) today announced its figures for
the fourth quarter and for 2008 as a whole. According to these
figures, USU Software AG and its subsidiaries (hereinafter: "USU
Group" or "USU") increased Group sales in the fourth quarter of 2008
by 35.1% above the previous year´s figure to EUR 10,169 thousand
(Q4/2007: EUR 7,529 thousand). At EUR 1,354 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR
647 thousand), the USU Group more than doubled its earnings before
interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) in the final quarter of
2008, while earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) also increased
at a very high rate to EUR 925 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR 92 thousand).
Due to tax effects, net income for the quarter was EUR 924 thousand
(Q4/2007: EUR 953 thousand), slightly below the previous year´s
level. From a one-year perspective, USU generated sales growth of
9.4% to EUR 33,977 thousand (2007: EUR 31,047 thousand). USU´s EBITDA
in fiscal year 2008 remained below the previous year´s level at EUR
2,287 thousand (2007: EUR 3,482 thousand) due to non-recurring
effects. EBIT totaled EUR 967 thousand (2007: EUR 1,892 thousand) in
the reporting period. Net profit declined year-on-year from EUR 4,536
thousand in fiscal year 2007 to EUR 1,294 thousand in the reporting
year, mainly because tax income of EUR 2,179 thousand in the previous
year had a major influence on the after tax figure. Accordingly,
earnings per share were EUR 0.13 in 2008 (2007: EUR 0.44). The
Management Board and Supervisory Board of USU Software AG will
propose paying a dividend of EUR 0.15 for each entitled share at the
Company´s Annual General Meeting on June 25, 2009. For the current
fiscal year 2009, the Management Board expects sales growth to be
above average in the relevant market segments as well as a
significant EBITDA increase.

Strong final quarter with significant increase in sales and EBITDA

Due to the product campaign in fiscal year 2008 with numerous new
products and further developed products in the Group´s portfolio, USU
recorded a significant increase it its licenses business in the
fourth quarter of 2008, representing a year-on-year increase in Group
sales by 35.1% to EUR 10,169 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR 7,529 thousand).
At EUR 1,354 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR 647 thousand), USU Group earnings
before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) more than doubled in
the final quarter of 2008. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)
saw above-average growth at EUR 925 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR 92
thousand). Net income for the quarter was slightly below the previous
year´s level at EUR 924 thousand (Q4/2007: EUR 953 thousand), which
is due to positive tax income of EUR 682 thousand from the previous
year´s quarter, while tax expense of EUR 101 thousand was incurred in
Q4/2008.

Year as a whole within adjusted expectations

From a one year perspective, the USU Group achieved sales revenues of
EUR 33,977 thousand in 2008 (2007: EUR 31,047 thousand). This
represents a year-on-year sales increase of 9.4%. The increase in the
licenses business was disproportionately high. USU AG played a role
in this, as did other Group subsidiaries LeuTek GmbH and Omega
Software GmbH. USU´s fiscal year 2008 business performance in terms
of earnings remained below that of the previous year due to a number
of influencing factors. In addition to specific investments related
to a product campaign for the new and further development of USU
software products and unscheduled additional costs for a fixed-price
project in the second and third quarter of 2008, the back payment of
taxes that the Company disputes due to a tax audit completed in 2008
was instrumental here, as they influenced the operating result as
other operating expenses. As a result, USU´s EBITDA in the reporting
period remained below the previous year´s level at EUR 2,287 thousand
(2007: EUR 3,482 thousand). EBIT totaled EUR 967 thousand (2007: EUR
1,892 thousand). Income taxes amounted to EUR -181 thousand in the
reporting year, while in the previous year there was tax income of
EUR 2,179 thousand primarily due to the one-time effect of the
capitalization of tax loss carry forwards. After taxes, USU generated
net profit for the year of EUR 1,294 thousand (2007: EUR 4,536
thousand) in fiscal year 2008, this corresponds to earnings per share
of EUR 0.13 (2007: EUR 0.44).

Proposed dividend payment of EUR 0.15 per share

As already announced, the Company´s Management Board and Supervisory
Board plan to propose to the Company´s Annual General Meeting on June
25, 2009 a dividend of EUR 0.15 for each entitled share (2007: EUR
0.15) as in the previous year as part of a shareholder-friendly
dividend policy. This will be distributed from the surplus of parent
company USU Software AG, which was EUR 3,612 thousand (2007: EUR
2,225 thousand) as of December 31, 2008 as calculated under the
German Commercial Code (HGB).

High level of liquidity and solid financing with no bank liabilities

The USU Group´s equity ratio amounted to 84.8% (2007: 87.3%) as of
December 31, 2008. With Group liquidity of EUR 9,541 thousand (2007:
EUR 9,921 thousand) at the end of fiscal year 2008 and no bank
liabilities, USU has solid financing to make targeted investments
even in difficult economic times and to purchase companies or
participations in companies if potential acquisition possibilities
present themselves.

Sales and earnings expected to grow in current fiscal year

Under the premises of economic development that will stabilize in
time, the Management Board of USU Software AG expects sales growth in
the current fiscal year to be above average in the relevant market
segments, as it was in 2008. USU is also expected to benefit from
generating new license income as well as from strong consulting and
maintenance business. A positive indication of this is USU´s
Group-wide orders on hand, which recorded a year-on-year increase as
of December 31, 2008 of 9.3% to EUR 14,177 thousand (2007: EUR 12,966
thousand). USU also expects positive effects from its
newly-established international partner business, which is expected
to generate over 15% of sales outside of the German domestic market
(2007: 6.7%) due in particular to its expansion into the regions of
the UK, Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, and Eastern Europe by
2010. In addition to increased partner activities in these markets,
numerous positive statements by analysts from international market
research institutes such as Gartner, Forrester and ECP are expected
to lead to a high level of market awareness and rapid market
penetration on these markets. This is due in part to the fact that
the analysts have given the Valuemation product suite a top ranking
in its individual Business Service Management areas. In addition to
growing sales, the Management Board of USU Software AG expects to
increase the Company´s EBITDA significantly with savings potential on
the cost side.

This announcement is available at http://www.usu-software.com

USU - The Knowledge Business Company

The USU Software AG offers with its company network appliances,
products and consulting all about Knowledge Business, aligned for the
future.

For example Valuemation. Our clients obtain a broad and complete
overview over their IT processes, IT infrastructure and are able to
display their IT costs transparently, to account and control
actively. More than 500 clients administrate with this product group
more than 30 million IT assets.

For example KnowledgeMiner. As an integrated research and navigation
system or portal solution, we activate the complete knowledge of a
single organisation with this technology. Call and service centres
solve more than ten thousand individual problems and requests day for
day, using the technology. Departments like quality assurance,
production or distribution fasten their core processes and improve
their quality.

The ability to form branch knowhow, competence of technology and user
demands to an integrated software system, has been convincing clients
for more than two decades in all fields of the international economy.

The USU Software AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU28) is listed in the Prime
Standard of the Frankfurt stock exchange.

Contact:

USU Software AG
Investor Relations
Falk Sorge
Tel.: +49 (0) 71 41 / 48 67 351
Fax: +49 (0) 71 41 / 48 67 108
Email: f.sorge@usu-software.de

USU Software AG

Corporate Communications
Dr. Thomas Gerick
Tel.: +49 (0) 71 41 / 48 67 440
Fax: +49 (0) 71 41 / 48 67 909
Email: t.gerick@usu-software.de

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: USU Software AG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Falk Sorge

Tel.: +49 (0)7141 4867 351

E-Mail: fsorge@usu.de

Branche: Software
ISIN: DE000A0BVU28
WKN: A0BVU2
Index: CDAX, Prime All Share, Technologie All Share
Börsen: Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse Berlin / free trade
Börse Hamburg / free trade
Börse Düsseldorf / free trade
Börse Hannover / free trade
Börse München / free trade
Börse Stuttgart / regulated dealing