Net other operating income decreased by 469 kEUR to 549 kEUR compared to 1,018 kEUR for the first quarter of 2017. Excluding ACTech, net other operating income decreased by 172 kEUR. Net other operating income consists primarily of withholding tax exemptions for qualifying researchers, development grants, partial funding of R&D projects, currency exchange results on purchase and sales transactions, and the depreciation of intangible assets from business combinations.

Operating result increased to 1,130 kEUR from (84) kEUR for the same period prior year, primarily as a result of the contribution by ACTech. Excluding ACTech, operating result amounted to (672) kEUR. The decrease in the operating result (excluding ACTech) was the result of the 9.6% increase in operating expenses, which was offset in part by the 7.9% increase in gross profit. The operating result was also negatively affected by depreciation cost, which increased from 2,568 kEUR to 4,006 kEUR (or to 2,968 kEUR excluding ACTech).

Net financial result was (710) kEUR compared to (142) kEUR for the prior-year period. The financial result included (167) kEUR net financial expenses related to ACTech. Excluding ACTech, the variances primarily reflected increases in the interest expense on the company’s financial debt and variances in the currency exchange rates, primarily on the portion of the company’s IPO proceeds held in U.S. dollars versus the euro. The share in loss of joint venture decreased to (103) kEUR from (389) kEUR for the same period last year.

The first quarter of 2018 contained income tax expense of 500 kEUR, of which 416 kEUR was related to ACTech, compared to 201 kEUR in the first quarter of 2017.

As a result of the above, net loss for the first quarter of 2018 was (183) kEUR (or (1,402) kEUR excluding ACTech), compared to net loss of (816) KEUR for the same period in 2017. Total comprehensive loss for the first quarter of 2018, which includes exchange differences on translation of foreign operations, was (278) kEUR compared to a loss of (694) kEUR for the same period in 2017.

At March 31, 2018, we had cash and equivalents of 44,697 kEUR compared to 43,175 kEUR at December 31, 2017. Cash flow from operating activities in the first quarter of 2018 was 6,200 kEUR compared to 1,603 kEUR in the same period in 2017. Net shareholders’ equity at March 31, 2018 was 76,631 kEUR compared to 77,515 kEUR at December 31, 2017.

2018 Guidance

As detailed in the company’s year-end fiscal 2017 earnings announcement, in fiscal 2018, management expects to report consolidated revenue between 180,000 - 185,000 kEUR and Adjusted EBITDA between 22,000 – 25,000 kEUR. Management also expects the amount of deferred revenue the company generates from annual licenses and maintenance in 2018 to increase by an amount between 2,000 - 4,000 kEUR as compared to 2017.

Non-IFRS Measure

Materialise uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as supplemental financial measures of its financial performance. EBITDA is calculated as net profit plus income taxes, financial expenses (less financial income), shares of loss in a joint venture and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is determined by adding non-cash stock-based compensation expenses and acquisition-related expenses of business combinations to EBITDA. Management believes these non-IFRS measures to be important measures as they exclude the effects of items which primarily reflect the impact of long-term investment and financing decisions, rather than the performance of the company's day-to-day operations. As compared to net profit, these measures are limited in that they do not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenues in the company's business, or the charges associated with impairments. Management evaluates such items through other financial measures such as capital expenditures and cash flow provided by operating activities. The company believes that these measurements are useful to measure a company's ability to grow or as a valuation measurement. The company's calculation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as alternatives to net profit or any other performance measure derived in accordance with IFRS. The company's presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed to imply that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

Exchange Rate

This press release contains translations of certain euro amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from euros to U.S. dollars in this press release were made at a rate of EUR 1.00 to USD 1.2321, the reference rate of the European Central Bank on March 31, 2018.

Conference Call and Webcast

Materialise will hold a conference call and simultaneous webcast to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2018 on the same day, Friday, May 4, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CET. Company participants on the call will include Wilfried Vancraen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer; Peter Leys, Executive Chairman; and Johan Albrecht, Chief Financial Officer. A question-and-answer session will follow management’s remarks.

To access the conference call, please dial 844-469-2530 (U.S.) or 765-507-2679 (international), passcode #7784338. The conference call will also be broadcast live over the Internet with an accompanying slide presentation, which can be accessed on the company’s website at http://investors.materialise.com .