Atos Origin expects a 'solid' 2012

LONDON (ShareCast) - French IT services firm Atos Origin (Munich: 877757 - news) expects the current year to be "solid" after net income rose 56% in 2011 to €182m. Organic revenues grew by 0.3% to €6.81bn, while its operating margin jumped to 6.2%, from the prior 4.3%, and ahead of initial guidance of 6%. Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Thierry Breton said that "we believe 2012 will be a solid year." "2011 marked a turning point in our history, when, following the acquisition of Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Atos (Paris: FR0000051732 - news) became a European IT champion. We are now even better positioned to reach our 2013 targets thanks to the ramp up of our transformation program, TOP², and our new eXpand project for business growth," he said. The company forecasts slight organic revenue growth this year while operating margin is expected to hit 6.5%. Shares were down 0.51% at €42.90 in afternoon trade in Paris. JM