highlights

  • revenue: € 5,977.9 billion; organic growth +8.7%
  • underlying EBITA of € 307 million; EBITA margin 5.1% (+30bp); underlying ICR > 50%, full year ICR of 40%
  • proposed cash dividend of € 2.76 (up 46%); regular dividend of € 2.07 and special dividend of € 0.69; record high
  • topline grew 11% in Europe, 1% in North America and 10% in Rest of the world
  • gross margin 20.1%; pricing climate stable; perm fees up 13% (Q3 2017: 10%)
  • full year 2017 free cash flow up 26% to € 586 million
  • full year 2017 ROIC of 16.7%; leverage ratio of 0.9
  • monster: EBITA positive driven by cost optimization program; key strategic initiatives in progress
  • capital allocation: conditional floor dividend and optional cash returns when leverage ratio < 1.0
  • january organic sales growth of around 7%
'We look back on another exciting year for Randstad, ' says Randstad CEO Jacques van den Broek. 'Our revenue rose organically by 8% in 2017, the highest level of growth since 2011 and we are proud to have outperformed in most relevant markets. We finished the year on a strong note, despite markedly tougher comparables. Our organic sales growth remained robust at 9% in Q4, while our profitability and FCF increased substantially. We aim to gain further market share, driven by our differentiating Tech & Touch strategy, lifting the barriers to entry. We are integrating technology into our everyday activities in such a way that we create experiences for our clients and candidates that are smart, personal and effective. The digital transformation we are going through as a company culminated in the launch of our new brand promise in the last quarter of 2017: Human Forward. Our financial position remains healthy, reflected by the proposal of a cash dividend of € 2.76 per ordinary share, including a special dividend of
€ 0.69, a record high. I feel very proud of all my colleagues and I would like to thank them and all stakeholders for an excellent 2017.
'

Read the full press release here.

You can read and download our annual report 2017 here.

Randstad Holding NV published this content on 13 February 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 13 February 2018 06:20:01 UTC.

Original documenthttps://www.ir.randstad.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2018/2018-02-13

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