MLP SE

Earnings Release • Feb 16, 2009

News Details

Ad-hoc | 16 February 2009 18:21

MLP AG: MLP Executive Board proposes dividend of 28 cents per share

MLP AG / Dividend/Final Results

Release of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted by
DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

---

• Distribution ratio rises significantly to nearly 100 percent
• Earnings burdened by one-off effects – total revenues in 2008 only
slightly below the figure of the previous year

The Executive Board of the independent financial services and wealth
management consulting company MLP is proposing a significant increase in
its distribution ratio. Subject to approval by the Supervisory Board and
the Annual General Meeting, MLP intends to distribute almost its entire net
profit from continuing operations. This equates to a dividend of 28 cents
per share (previous year: 50 cents); the payout amounts to around EUR 30.2
million (EUR 49 million). As already communicated last year - and subject
to final confirmation by the tax authorities - the dividend is tax-free.

In view of the financial crisis, private and institutional clients
exercised restraint also during the fourth quarter. Furthermore, falling
prices on the capital markets led to a decline in on-going remuneration in
wealth management. Despite these very difficult framework conditions MLP
generated total revenues of EUR 597.7 million in 2008 (2007: EUR 629.8
million), thus almost equalling the record figure achieved in the previous
year. Furthermore, profit before interest and taxes (EBIT) was burdened by
several one-off effects and consequently fell to EUR 56.6 million (EUR
113.9 million). Net profit from continuing operations decreased
accordingly, declining from EUR 77.5 million to EUR 31.1 million. Liquid
funds rose significantly to EUR 210.1 million (EUR 155.8 million).

In the fourth quarter, total revenues amounted to EUR 189.8 million (Q4
2007: EUR 224.3 million). EBIT fell to EUR 17.1 million (EUR 56.6 million)
and net profit declined to EUR 11.9 million (EUR 38.0 million).

Profit-reducing items included the changeover to the requirements of the
new Insurance Contract Law, for which MLP incurred one-off costs of around
EUR 6 million, as well as a writedown on a rented office building amounting
to EUR 2.5 million. A further EUR 3.8 million was allocated to a tax
accrual. In addition, the previous year included a one-off effect totalling
EUR 4.0 million resulting from the sale of the funds database business of
the subsidiary Feri.

Earnings were also negatively affected by a loss of around EUR 3.4 million
at the consulting company TPC, which MLP acquired in February 2008 to
supplement its occupational pensions business. Here, corporate clients
deferred larger projects in view of the uncertain economic climate.

In the course of strategic focussing, MLP will, in future, concentrate its
private client activities on its core market Germany. In this respect, MLP
is seeking a new ownership structure for its units in Austria and the
Netherlands that contributed less than two percent to total revenues in the
previous year. From now on, MLP will be showing the company in Austria as a
discontinued operation. In the financial year 2008, the after-tax loss in
the discontinued operations totalled EUR 6.3 million. The resulting
consolidated net profit of MLP Group amounted to EUR 24.8 million (EUR 62.1
million).

Jan Berg
Alte Heerstraße 40, 69168 Wiesloch
Tel.: +49 (0) 62 22-308-4595
Fax: +49 (0) 62 22-308-1131
E-Mail: jan.berg@mlp.de
Internet: www.mlp-ag.de

16.02.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

Language: English
Issuer: MLP AG
Alte Heerstraße 40
69168 Wiesloch
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)6222-308-1135
Fax: +49 (0)6222-308-8351
E-mail: investorrelations@mlp.de
Internet: www.mlp.de
ISIN: DE0006569908
WKN: 656990
Indices: MDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Stuttgart;
Freiverkehr in Berlin, Hannover, Düsseldorf, Hamburg,
München; Terminbörse EUREX

End of News DGAP News-Service

---