Interim Results

Knowledge Technology Solutions PLC 28 June 2001 For Immediate Release 28 June 2001 Knowledge Technology Solutions PLC Interim Results for the period to 31 March 2001 Knowledge Technology Solutions PLC, the provider of fast, interactive data solutions, and owner of the Sharepages.com financial information website, announces its interim results as an AIM listed company, for the period to 31st March 2001. Highlights * Progress in the development of the MarketTerminal product combined with strong interest from prospective corporate customers * 'Live' MarketTerminal trials with a major City financial services company underway * Group loss before tax of £138,029, reflecting investment in technology development and establishing the Cognita business * Prospects for the year as a whole remain good * Commenting on the results, Bernard Fisher, Chairman, said: 'Progress has been made in our business during the six month period to 31st March 2001. Our proprietary technology MarketTerminal product is receiving a particularly good response from prospective corporate clients. The prospects for the year as a whole remain good.' For further information please contact: Bernard Fisher, Chairman 07747 634 634 Marc Pinter-Krainer, Chief Executive 020 8795 2700 Neil Boom, Director Gresham PR Limited 020 7329 7555 Roland Cornish, Chairman, Beaumont Cornish Limited 020 7628 3396 UNAUDITED RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 MARCH 2001 Chairman's Statement The period ended 31st March 2001 was one of progress for Knowledge Technology Solutions. I am pleased to report that the Group achieved good results in a period that included its debut on the Alternative Investment Market and further investment in the development of our intellectual property. Cognita Technologies Limited ('Cognita') Our investment in the development of Cognita continued as planned throughout the six-month period. Progress has been made in developing our MarketTerminal product which delivers real time and interactive financial data to sophisticated market professionals using application server technology (ASP). MarketTerminal is a flagship product which, the directors believe, will represent strong growth opportunities for the Group. There is strong market interest in MarketTerminal which has enabled us to progress to 'proof of concept' trials and beta tests with a UK subsidiary of one of Europe's largest financial institutions, and is currently trialing MarketTerminal alongside its existing financial information systems. Our longer term aim is to establish Cognita as a market-leading application service provision company. We are confident that financial insitutions in need of complementary lower cost financial information systems, that run alongside Bloomberg or Reuters, will be a lucrative market for our product and our technology. Accordingly, we are now recruiting a new Head of Sales who will have direct requisite relationships and skills to sell MarketTerminal to the City. In addition, the real time data management and application server technology developed and owned by Cognita will position the Group as a specialist provider of software solutions in those high growth areas. During the period, the Group invested almost £200,000 in developing Cognita's technologies and enhancing the functionality of MarketTerminal with additional modules. The value of our software is not reflected in the Balance Sheet as the costs relating to this development have been written off as incurred. Sharepages.com Limited We continue to use our expertise in real time data management and the new technologies developed by Cognita to improve and diversify the service we offer users of our Sharepages.com financial information website (http:// www.sharepages.com) at little additional cost. The Sharepages.com PDA service that was introduced in the first half of the year has enabled us to fulfil customers' demands for share information whilst on the move. Our use of flexible and innovative technology has been a differentiator in the marketplace. In particular, our approach in having much of the site content automatically generated has resulted in a low cost base. Several competitors are now finding their focus on editorial content to be prohibitively expensive, and with the reduction in VC funding and corporate investing, are being closed, sold or merged. However, during this period Sharepages' unique visitor numbers have been steadily increasing and with an anticipated lower level of competition compared to the last two years, we expect this growth to continue. As a low cost operator, we welcome this sector consolidation. Outlook We have spent the last period putting in place some of the infrastructure to enable Knowledge Technology Solutions to realise its planned strategy. We recently announced that HSBC Investment Bank plc and Billam Plc have each subscribed for 5 million new Ordinary shares. These new funds will enable us to deliver real and measurable benefits to the business, particularly as we now accelerate the MarketTerminal project. Your directors' view of the prospects for the year as a whole remains good. BERNARD FISHER Chairman 28 June 2001 CONSOLIDATED PROFIT & LOSS ACCOUNT FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 MARCH 2001 Six months ended 31 March 2001 (unaudited) Notes £ Turnover 3 90,253 Cost of Sales (38,507) ________ Gross Profit 51,746 Administration expenses (192,859) ________ Operating loss (141,113) Interest receivable 3,084 ________ Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (138,029) Taxation on loss on ordinary activities 4 - ________ Loss on ordinary activities after taxation (138,029) ________ Dividends 5 - Retained loss (138,029) ======= Basic loss per ordinary share 6 (0.26)p ======= Diluted loss per ordinary share 6 (0.26)p ======= All operations are continuing and there are no recognised gains and losses other than the loss for the period. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2001 As at 31 March 2001 (unaudited) Notes £ Fixed assets 17,648 Tangible fixed assets ________ Current assets Debtors 63,621 Cash at bank and in hand 339,392 ________ 403,013 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (54,750) ________ Net current assets 348,263 ________ Total assets less current liabilities 365,911 ======= Capital and reserves Called up share capital 65,342 Share premium account 438,598 Profit and loss account (138,029) ________ Equity shareholders' funds 10 365,911 ======= CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 MARCH 2001 Six months ended 31 March 2001 (unaudited) Notes £ Net cash outflow from operating activities 7 (143,927) ________ Returns on investment and servicing of finance Interest received 3,084 ________ Net cash inflow from returns on investments and servicing 3,084 of finance ________ Capital expenditure Purchase of tangible fixed assets (2,146) ________ Net cash outflow from capital expenditure (2,146) ________ Acquisitions and disposals Cash acquired with subsidiary 57,737 ________ Net cash inflow from acquisitions and disposals 57,737 ________ Net cash outflow before financing (85,252) ________ Financing Issue of ordinary share capital 671,904 Share issue costs (247,262) ________ Net cash inflow from financing 424,642 ________ Increase in cash 8 339,390 ======= NOTES TO THE INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 MARCH 2001 1 Basis of preparation The interim financial information in respect of the six months ended 31 March 2001 is unaudited and has been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out in the company's Prospectus dated 8 November 2000. The financial information contained in this statement does not constitute statutory accounts. The company's first statutory accounts will be in respect of the period ending 30 June 2001. 2 Continuing activities The company was incorporated on 24 August 2000 and, with the exception of the issue of ordinary shares on incorporation, the Group did not trade until the acquisition of the entire issued ordinary share capital of Sharepages.com Limited on 27 October 2000. 3 Turnover All of the turnover arises in the United Kingdom. 4 Taxation As a result of losses available no liability to corporation tax is expected to arise. 5 Dividends The Directors do not recommend the payment of an interim dividend. 6 Loss per ordinary share The loss per ordinary share have been calculated by dividing the loss on ordinary activities after tax attributable to shareholders by 52,804,651 being the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period which carry the right to receive a dividend. The diluted earnings per ordinary share is the same as the basic earnings per share. 7 Reconciliation of operating loss to net cash outflow from operating activities Six months ended 31 March 2001 Operating loss (141,113) Depreciation charges 4,009 Increase in debtors (44,643) Increase in creditors 37,820 Net cash outflow from operating activities (143,927) 8 Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement of liquid funds Six months ended 31 March 2001 Increase in cash for the period 339,390 Net funds at start of period 2 Net funds at end of period 339,392 9 Analysis of net funds As at 31 March 2001 Cash at bank and in hand 339,392 10 Reconciliation of movement in shareholders' funds Six months ended 31 March 2001 Loss for the period (138,029) New shares issued during the period 769,700 Issue costs (265,762) Net additions during the period 365,909 Opening shareholders' funds 2 Closing shareholders' funds 365,911 11 Non-cash transactions During the period, the company issued 49,998,000 ordinary shares of 0.1p per share in exchange for the entire ordinary share capital of Sharepages.com Limited and 411,111 ordinary shares of 0.1p per share in consideration of services provided to the company in respect of its admission to the Alternative Investment Market. No goodwill arose on the acquisition of Sharepages.com Limited.
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