Final Results
City of London Investment Group PLC
18 September 2006
For release at 0700h, 18 September 2006
CITY OF LONDON INVESTMENT GROUP PLC
('City of London', 'the Group', or 'the Company')
PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MAY 2006
SUMMARY
City of London Investment Group PLC (AIM: CLIG), a leading emerging market asset
management group, announces preliminary results for the year to 31 May 2006.
•Admission to AIM on 12 April 2006 after placing 24.51% of the issued
share capital in order to provide existing institutional shareholders with
liquidity and the ability to realise part of their investment. The Company
raised no new money.
•Funds under management were US$2.8 billion at the year end (2005: US$1.6
billion) and the same at 31 August 2006.
•Operating profit before AIM costs was £5.2 million (2005: £2.1 million),
reflecting the Group's growth in funds under management and the operational
gearing inherent in the business.
•The Board is not recommending a final dividend reflecting the fact that
City of London was a publicly traded company for less than two months of the
period. It is the Board's intention going forward to pay dividends to
shareholders twice a year, an interim and a final, with the level of payout
based on cover of two times.
Andrew Davison, Chairman, said, 'During the year under review, we were
successful in winning new mandates but also further diversified our asset
management product portfolio with the growth of our natural resources fund and
the seeding of three new funds: a global emerging market fund, a frontier fund
and an emerging markets yield fund. In addition, the Group commenced marketing
its services and products in Europe. It is our strategic objective to globalise
our business, building on the very strong base created in the North American
market.'
Enquiries to:
Doug Allison (CFO) / Barry Olliff (CEO) John West / Clemmie Carr
City of London Investment Group PLC Tavistock Communications
Tel: 020 7711 0771 Tel: 020 7920 3150
For further information about City of London, please visit www.citlon.com
Chairman's Statement
The year to 31st May 2006 was a successful one for City of London and I am
pleased to be able to report substantial progress to both our long term and new
shareholders.
Despite our achievements during the year under review, recent falls in emerging
markets have inevitably overshadowed some of this success. However, the Board
believes that our business model - based on tried and tested processes and an
experienced management team - can cope with the volatility in our target
investment markets. Emerging markets have always displayed volatility and it is
our ability to outperform in all market conditions that has enabled the Group to
consistently win investment mandates from sophisticated institutional investors.
Our CEO, Barry Olliff, addresses operational issues, including investment
markets, in his review which follows my statement.
Results
Funds under management during the period doubled to a peak in April 2006 of over
US$3 billion before declining, with the markets, to US$2.8 billion at 31st May,
a level which has since been maintained. Turnover from continuing activities
during the year increased by 82% to £14.08 million (2005 - £7.74 million),
producing a 127% rise in operating profits to £4.68 million (2005 - £2.06
million) as a result of the operational leverage in our activities whereby costs
do not rise proportionally with turnover. Operating profit for the current year
is stated net of £0.48 million costs related to the Admission to AIM.
Discontinued activities represent the closure of a subsidiary and contributed
just £38,700 of turnover and £9,357 of operating profit.
Profit before tax increased to £4.79 million (2005 - £2.12 million), a rise of
125%. The tax charge for the year was £1.78 million (2005 - £0.79 million) and
dividends paid to shareholders pre-Admission to AIM were £2.28 million (2005 -
£0.35 million). Retained profit for the year was £0.72 million (2005 - £0.98
million), which contributed to the significant increase in shareholders' funds
to £4.33 million (2005 - £2.56 million). Cash balances at the year end were
£2.71 million (2005 - £2.40 million). There were no borrowings. A more detailed
explanation of the results is contained in the Financial review.
Dividends
The Board is not recommending a final dividend in respect of the financial year
under review, reflecting the fact that City of London was a publicly traded
company for less than two months of the period. The dividends paid to our
pre-IPO shareholders in the period comprised an interim dividend of £1.98
million in respect of the year to 31st May 2006 and a final dividend of £0.30
million in respect of the year to 31st May 2005.
It is the Board's intention going forward to pay dividends to shareholders twice
a year, an interim and a final, with the level of payout based on cover of two
times - dividends will represent approximately half of post tax profits. We
intend to declare or recommend dividends with the interim and full year results
announced in January and September respectively followed by payments in February
and November. The Board expects to declare a first dividend in respect of the
current financial year with the interim results for the period to 30th November
2006 in January 2007.
Review
The major corporate event during the year was our Admission to AIM which took
place at the very end of the period in April 2006. We sought a listing in order
to provide our existing institutional shareholders with liquidity and the
ability to realise their investments in the Group. At Admission, these
shareholders sold shares representing approximately one quarter of the issued
share capital and these shares were placed with a deliberately small list of
high quality institutions. I welcome our new shareholders and thank the old ones
for their support over a number of years. Those shareholders who sold shares at
Admission agreed long term lock-in arrangements in respect of their remaining
holding, and all directors and senior managers entered into similar lock-in
agreements.
City of London's asset management activities are principally focused on
providing emerging market products and services predominantly to institutional
investor clients who include some of the United States' leading blue chip
institutions and endowment funds. We manage Open Ended Funds as well as a number
of segregated accounts from offices in London, the US and Singapore.
During the year under review, we were successful in winning new mandates but
also further diversified our asset management product portfolio with the growth
of our natural resources fund and the seeding of three new funds: a global
emerging market fund, a frontier fund and an emerging markets yield fund. In
addition, the Group commenced marketing its services and products in Europe. It
is our strategic objective to globalise our business, building on the very
strong base created in the North American market. Although we believe that there
is scope for considerable growth in our activities in the United States in
particular, we aim to diversify the client base to become a truly global
business. To that end we are actively marketing our distinctive investment
management services and pursuing opportunities in Europe and the Far East.
Directors, management and staff
I am delighted to welcome our new non-executive director, David Cardale, to the
Board. David was appointed at the time of our Admission to AIM. David has spent
his career in investment markets with significant experience in corporate
finance and private equity in Europe and the United States. He is a co-founder
and Chairman of Global Investor Relations, one of Europe's leading providers of
online investor relations services.
Perhaps the principal benefit to the Company of the Admission to AIM is our
increased ability to incentivise our staff and management through the use of
option schemes. The Group has put in place schemes for staff in London, the US
and Singapore as well as for senior management. Directors and employees now hold
options to acquire a total of 4.75 million shares representing approximately
17.7% of the current issued share capital. Of the total shares under option,
some 2.25 million shares (representing 8.4% of the issued share capital) are
over shares held by an employee share trust and on exercise will therefore
occasion no dilution. The Board believes that the recruitment, motivation and
retention of talented people is vital to the success of the Group and that these
schemes can give us a real advantage in so doing compared to non-listed rivals.
Outlook
Our expertise in emerging markets, natural resources and closed end funds in
general is, we believe, exportable to a wider and more geographically diverse
client base than that we currently serve. City of London has the people, systems
and culture in place to enable this growth without the addition of significant
extra costs. Despite the current volatility in emerging markets, we believe we
are well placed to deliver further growth.
A Davison
Chairman
15th September 2006
Chief Executive Officer's Review
This is our first Report and Accounts as a listed company and I would like to
let you know that we value you as a shareholder in the City of London Investment
Group. Over the years, we have developed close relationships with our clients
and now that we have a number of new shareholders we would like to develop close
relationships with you too.
I believe that one of the best ways of developing close relationships is by
being as open as possible and I would hope that the information that you will
find within this document is both interesting and useful. You will probably be
well aware that part of our work revolves around closed end fund corporate
governance, for this reason as well, we feel bound to lead by example regarding
the quality of information disclosed to our shareholders.
The past financial year
This past financial year, like the preceding two, has allowed us to grow our
business significantly. Funds under management ('FUM') increased from $1,558
million to $2,750 million or, measured in sterling, from £855 million to £1,471
million. However, we have recently experienced significant £/$ currency
volatility. Most of our fees are paid in US dollars and are then repatriated
back to the United Kingdom. Please refer to the Financial review for more
details regarding our hedging strategy and a table showing the sensitivity of
our income to moves in the $/£ exchange rate.
Over the past year there has been significant demand for our products, not just
relating to emerging markets closed end funds, but also via equities providing
natural resource exposure. By the end of 2005, we had closed all of our US-based
emerging market commingled funds to new investors. This was principally because
we were concerned regarding their size and in our ability, in the event that
they grew significantly larger, to continue to outperform versus the various
emerging market benchmarks via which we are measured. Separate from our emerging
market commingled accounts, over the past year we have benefited from
significant growth in the area of segregated accounts as well.
Diversification
But to return for a moment to our Natural Resources business, it is worth making
the point that this part of our business has grown from $73 million at end May
2004 to $193 million as of end May 2006, which is the end of our financial year.
As at the end of August, this figure has increased to $215 million, which was
the end of our first quarter this new financial year.
This business, which is one of the areas of diversification that we have
embarked upon, invests significantly in listed equities, rather than our
traditional area of closed end funds. We are assuming, and planning, for this
business to grow substantially over the next few years. As with our Closed End
Fund business, we are positioned at the performance end of the marketplace which
focuses on relative return products for institutional clients.
A possible new office
As a result of both the growth of the local stock markets in the Middle East,
and the growth of interest in the region's emerging markets from the equity
index providers, we are beginning to consider the possibility of opening an
office within the Gulf Cooperation Council Region (GCC). The GCC, when combined
with other countries within the Middle East, now represents in excess of 15% of
the S&P/IFC Global Emerging Markets Index. As more securities from this region
become investable and as new issuance continues to grow, it seems increasingly
likely that we will need to research this area on a daily basis in a manner that
could prove increasingly difficult from our offices in London or Singapore. As a
result of our risk-averse approach to the development of our business, we would
only undertake this type of expansion if we thought it would add significant
value to our investment process. If we proceeded, we would additionally intend,
over a period of time to use this office to market City of London products. As
occurred in 1997 when we opened our US office, and again in 2000 when we opened
our Singapore office, this office would be initially staffed by one or two
existing City of London employees.
Business continuity plans
I thought it wise to relay some information regarding our Business Continuity
Plans which would come into play in the event that we had, as a firm, to deal
with some type of disaster scenario. First, we have the advantage of three
diverse offices, with most key personnel having undertaken some form of
training, typically for a few weeks, in at least two if not all three offices.
On top of this, we have in place a contract with NDR Ltd, a leading UK provider
of disaster recovery facilities, which could be called upon to replace any loss
of operating capability, whether the result of something simple like a power cut
or something more calamitous such as a flood or an explosion. This facility has
been extensively tested, as have our daily back up routines, the source of full
data and systems duplicates, which are stored off-site. On top of this, all key
staff have remote internet access to the company's servers, whether in the UK,
the US, or Singapore. Naturally, all of the above, plus additional detail, is
described in our disaster recovery procedures, which are divided into two
sections: technical and operational.
Cost income ratio
One of the ratios that is often cited within the investment management industry
is the cost-income ratio, with the industry average being around 65%. City of
London's cost-income ratio last year was 56% (after adjusting operating costs to
strip out listing costs and third party marketing commission, which within this
context is a reduction in fee income rather than a cost). A substantial part of
our operating costs is represented by profit-share, as described in more detail
in the Financial review, and the cost-income ratio adjusted to exclude these
variable costs was 38%. In other words, the 'fixed' overhead cost of supporting
our FUM when measured as a percentage of net fee income, was 38%. The major
components of our overheads are personnel, premises, IT and communications, and
marketing and business development. We work hard to keep these items as low as
possible whilst continuing to take a very long-term view regarding the
development of our business.
Operational leverage
One of the advantages of maintaining a low ratio of costs to FUM is the extent
to which Shareholders will benefit from the Operational Leverage within our
business that can develop as a result of further growth in FUM.
Over the next year we will be focusing upon developing our business outside the
US where around 85% of our assets are currently sourced. That is to say, that to
the extent possible, we will be seeking additional assets to manage in the UK,
Europe and the Far East.
Recently we seeded three new funds domiciled in the Cayman Islands, these three
funds are Natural Resources, Emerging Markets and a Global Equity Fund. With
minor variations these funds will be similar to existing City of London funds,
they will however be marketed outside North America thus providing us with a new
suite of Funds via which we would intend to develop our business over the next
few years.
End of first quarter FUM
As of the end of August, total FUM was US$2,815 million. We are just over three
months into the year and in the difficult markets that we have recently
experienced I would like to point out that investment performance has been
maintained.
Thanks to CoL employees
Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues for their hard work and continuing
commitment in what has been a challenging year.
B M Olliff
Chief Executive Officer
15th September 2006
Financial Review
Turnover, representing management fees charged as a percentage of funds under
management, rose in line with the underlying increase in funds under management,
and at £14.1million was almost double the previous year's figure.
The largest proportion of turnover, 93% (2005 - 78%), was derived from North
America where the Group has increased funds under management significantly
during the period. Fee margins were maintained, reflecting the Group's premium
service positioning.
A substantial portion of Administrative Expenses is represented by costs that
vary with turnover. This variable cost has two principal elements. First,
commissions payable to marketing agents, principally in the US and generally
fixed at 20% of fee income, amounted to £2.18 million for the year (2005 - £1.00
million). Second, it is the Group's policy to align staff costs with
profitability by closely controlling our fixed salary overhead, and
supplementing this with a profit-share scheme. Profit sharing accounted for
£2.20 million (2005 - £0.94 million), representing 49% of total staff costs of
£4.50 million (2005 - £2.93 million). The overall increase of 54% in staff costs
therefore comprises a 134% increase in profit share but only a 16% increase in
fixed overhead, which was largely accounted for by the increase in the average
number of employees from 32 to 38 to accommodate the expansion of the business
during the period.
Discontinued activities resulted from the closure of a subsidiary, City of
London Quantitative Management Limited, in June 2005. This was, in turn, the
result of the expiry of the sole management contract serviced by that
subsidiary, which was in respect of a Chilean registered fund.
Dividends are reported in accordance with FRS 21, as a result of which the
restated 2005 figure of £0.35 million comprises the final dividend for the year
to 31st May 2004 and the interim dividend for the year to 31st May 2005, while
the 2006 figure of £2.28 million comprises the final dividend for the year to
31st May 2005 and the interim dividends for the year to 31st May 2006.
The tax charge rate, at 37% of pre-tax profits (2005 - 37%), is higher than the
30% prevailing rate of UK corporation tax because that part of net income
attributable to the US operations under the Group's transfer pricing policy
attracts the higher US corporate tax rate, which - with federal and state taxes
- is marginally in excess of 40%.
Recognised gains and losses
Recognised gains and losses include a revaluation reserve of £0.13 million (2005
- nil) which reflects the increase in the value of investments made by the Group
in order to seed new funds. At 31st May 2006, these investments had a current
market value of £1.36 million (2005 - £0.46 million), and the increase of £0.90
million during the year represents new investments of £0.77 million plus the
revaluation reserve of £0.13 million. The prior year adjustment of £0.30 million
(2005 - nil) is the final dividend for the year to 31st May 2005, restated as a
result of the adoption of FRS 21, as described above.
Balance sheet
Net current assets make up 93% of total net assets (2005 - 91%). For the most
part debtors and creditors convert to cash within a three month cycle, which is
the longest fee billing period. Historically, there have been no overdue or bad
debts, and the nature of our debtors - the funds we manage - is such that the
risks of delay or default is low. Creditors comprise accruals of £1.07 million
(2005 - £0.83 million), and tax of £0.78 million (2005 - £0.64 million). With
regard to the latter, the increase over the prior year is relatively small
because this year Corporation Tax has been paid in quarterly instalments in both
the UK and the US (previously just the US). The other major component of
creditors is third party marketing commission of £0.25 million (2005 - £0.12m).
The Company has extended loans amounting to £1.03 million (2005 - £1.26 million)
to a trust set up for the purpose of acquiring and holding the Company's shares
to service the Employee Share Option scheme. These loans are repaid on the
exercise of options issued by the trust. The amount outstanding was reduced by
£0.23 million during the year, following the exercise of options in respect of
513,300 shares. These options were all issued to staff between 1997 and 2001 at
an exercise price of £0.45.
Share capital and the share premium account have increased by £0.03 million and
£0.65 million respectively as a result of the exercise of 667,500 dilutive
options issued to Barry Olliff in 1997 at £0.04, and 2,500,000 warrants issued
to shareholders in 2004 at £0.26.
Currency exposure
The Group's income is substantially sourced in US$ (in the region of 90% of
total income), while its expenses are roughly evenly divided between £ and US$
(with a small Singapore $ element). Consequently, net income as reported in £ is
significantly exposed to movements in the $/£ exchange rate, which during the
year to 31st May 2006 moved within the approximate range 1.70 to 1.90.
The following table illustrates the approximate effect across a range of funds
under management assumptions, given the current geographical distribution of the
expense base:
Average FUM US$bn
2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
US$/£ Pre-tax, £m
------ -------- -------- -------- -------
1.80 6.2 8.7 11.2 13.7
1.85 5.9 8.4 10.8 13.2
1.90 5.7 8.1 10.4 12.8
1.95 5.5 7.8 10.1 12.4
2.00 5.3 7.5 9.8 12.0
------ -------- -------- -------- -------
Assumes:
1 Average net fee 0.9%.
2 Annual operating costs £3.0m plus US$6.0m.
A deeper analysis, however, would show that the Group's profitability is not as
exposed as it might superficially appear to be, because the underlying dynamic
offers a significant degree of natural hedge. This is so because the funds'
underlying investments are substantially non-US$ denominated, and so a weaker
US$ gives uplift to the US$ value of funds under management. Accordingly, the
Group's hedging strategy is focused upon balance sheet exposure rather than
revenue exposure, with forward sales of US$ being used when appropriate to
substantially offset or eliminate the intrinsic long US$ position.
Accounting standards and policies
As an AIM listed company, City of London Investment Group is required to adopt
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the year ended 31st May
2008. The Board's current intention is to continue to produce accounts in line
with UK GAAP until that time. The first results prepared under IFRS will
therefore be the interim results for the six months to 30th November 2007.
Dividends have been restated in accordance with FRS 21 as described above.
The Group's seed investments (as described above) have been included this year
in current assets on the basis that they are available for immediate conversion
to cash, and are not expected to be maintained in the long term. The comparative
figures have been restated accordingly.
D F Allison
Finance Director
15th September 2006
Consolidated profit & loss account
For the year ended 31st May 2006
Discontinued Continuing Total Total 2005
2006 2006 2006 (as restated)
Note £ £ £ £
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Turnover 2 38,700 14,079,939 14,118,639 7,744,770
Administrative
expenses
Staff costs 16,455 4,488,282 4,504,737 2,934,801
Other
administrative 21,264 4,329,643 4,350,907 2,651,112
expenses
AIM listing - 482,708 482,708 -
costs
Depreciation 35 108,077 108,112 98,541
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
(37,754) (9,408,710) (9,446,464) (5,684,454)
Other operating
income 8,411 1,109 9,520 -
-------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Operating profit 9,357 4,672,338 4,681,695 2,060,316
Interest
receivable
and similar
income 109,562 64,065
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Profit on
ordinary
activities
before
taxation 4,791,257 2,124,381
Tax charge on
profit
on ordinary
activities 3 (1,784,138) (790,890)
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Profit on
ordinary
activities after 3,007,119 1,333,491
taxation
Dividends 4 (2,282,675) (350,009)
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Retained profit
for the financial
year 6 724,444 983,482
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Basic profit per 5 13.8p 6.4p
share
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Diluted profit
per share 5 11.9p 4.8p
--------------- ------ ---------- -------- ---------- ------------
Consolidated statement of total recognised gains and losses
For the year ended 31st May 2006
2005
2006 (as restated)
Note £ £
------------------- ----- -------- ----------
Retained profit for the period 724,444 983,482
Increase in revaluation reserve 134,506 -
------------------- ----- -------- ----------
Total recognised gains and losses for the 858,950 983,482
period
Prior year adjustment 6 300,013
------------------- ----- -------- ----------
Total gains and losses recognised since the
last 1,158,963
annual report ----- -------- ----------
Consolidated balance sheet
31st May 2006
2005
2006 (as restated)
Note £ £
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 225,939 201,993
Investments 61,253 20,028
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
287,192 222,021
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
Current assets
Debtors 2,136,312 1,092,529
Investments 1,359,563 463,890
Cash at bank and in hand 2,708,915 2,398,040
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
6,204,790 3,954,459
Creditors, amounts falling due within one (2,160,169) (1,611,302)
year ------ --------- ----------
Net current assets 4,044,621 2,343,157
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
Total assets less current liabilities 4,331,813 2,565,178
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 267,777 236,102
Share premium account 6 1,357,283 712,258
Investment in own shares 6 (1,027,283) (1,258,268)
Revaluation reserve 6 134,506 -
Profit and loss account 6 3,599,530 2,875,086
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
Shareholders' funds 6 4,331,813 2,565,178
-------------------------- ------ --------- ----------
The Board of directors approved these financial statements on 15th September
2006.
Signed on behalf of the Board of directors
B M Olliff
Chief Executive Officer
D F Allison
Finance Director
Cash flow statement
For the year ended 31st May 2006
2006 2005
Note £ £
--------------------------- - ------- -------- ---------
Consolidated cash flow statement
Net cash inflow from operating activities 7 4,145,424 2,199,337
Returns on investments and servicing of 109,562 64,065
finance
Taxation (1,643,687) (223,889)
Capital expenditure and financial investment (164,267) (222,509)
Equity dividends paid (2,282,675) (350,009)
Financing 907,685 -
Management of liquid resources (761,167) (311,027)
--------------------------- ------- --------- ---------
Increase in cash 9 310,875 1,155,968
--------------------------- ------- --------- ---------
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31st May 2006
1. Basis of preparation and financial information
The financial information set out in this preliminary announcement has been
prepared on the same basis as the accounting policies used in the Company's 2005
statutory accounts.
The information shown for the years ended 31 May 2006 and 31 May 2005 does not
constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of S240 of the Companies Act
1985 and has been extracted from the full accounts for the years ended 31 May
2006 and 31 May 2005
The reports of the auditors on those accounts were unqualified and did not
contain a statement under either S237(2) or S237(3) of the Companies Act 1985.
The accounts for the year ended 31 May 2005 have been filed with the Registrar
of Companies. The accounts for the year ended 31 May 2006 will be delivered to
the Registrar of Companies in due course.
2. Analysis of turnover, operating profit and net assets
The directors consider that the group only undertakes one class of business, and
hence only analysis by geographical location is given.
Turnover Operating Net assets
profit
2005
2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 (as restated)
£ £ £ £ £ £
----------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Europe 585,206 360,512 919,223 97,514 2,271,782 2,670,533
North America 13,185,903 6,093,723 3,538,613 1,203,505 2,014,559 31,082
South America 298,173 1,290,535 205,660 759,297 5,084 (136,437)
Other 49,357 - 18,199 - 40,388 -
----------- --------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
14,118,639 7,744,770 4,681,695 2,060,316 4,331,813 2,565,178
----------- --------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
3. Tax charge on profit on ordinary activities
(a) Analysis of tax charge on ordinary activities:
2006 2005
£ £
---------------------------- - ------- --------
Tax at 30% (2005 - 30%) based on the profit for the
year 1,538,223 628,628
Double taxation relief (415,360) (331,628)
Adjustments in respect of prior years (3,148) (7,995)
---------------------------- -------- --------
1,119,715 289,005
Foreign tax for the current period 652,983 503,000
Adjustments in respect of prior years 11,440 (1,115)
---------------------------- -------- --------
664,423 501,885
-------- --------
1,784,138 790,890
-------- --------
(b) Factors affecting tax charge for the current period:
The tax assessed for the period is different to that resulting from applying the
standard rate of corporation tax in the UK: 30% (prior year: 30%). The
differences are explained below:
2006 2005
£ £
---------------------------- -------- --------
Profit on ordinary activities before tax 4,791,257 2,124,381
---------------------------- -------- --------
Tax at 30% thereon (1,437,377) (637,314)
Effects of:
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes (100,000) (2,968)
Capital allowances more than depreciation - 9,202
Unrelieved overseas tax (237,623) (171,372)
Prior period adjustments (8,292) 9,110
Other (846) 2,452
---------------------------- -------- --------
(1,784,138) (790,890)
-------- --------
4. Dividend
2005
2006 (as restated)
£ £
---------------------------- -------- --------
Dividends paid:
Interim dividend of £2.15 per share (2005 - £0.24) 1,982,662 200,009
Final dividend in respect of year ended:
31st May 2004 of £0.18 per share - 150,000
31st May 2005 of £0.36 per share 300,013 -
---------------------------- -------- --------
2,282,675 350,009
-------- --------
5. Earnings per share
The calculation of basic earnings per share is based on the profit for the year
of £3,007,119 (2005 - £1,333,491) divided by the weighted average of ordinary
shares in issue for the year ended 31st May 2006 of 21,855,212 (2005 -
20,834,250).
As set out in Note 6 the Employee Benefit Trust held ordinary shares in the
Company as at 31st May 2006. The Trustees of the Trust have waived all rights to
dividends associated with these shares. In accordance with FRS22 the ordinary
shares held by the Employee Benefit Trust have been excluded from the
calculation of the weighted average of ordinary shares in issue.
The calculation of diluted earnings per share is based on the profit for the
year of £3,007,119 (2005 - £1,333,491) divided by the diluted weighted average
of ordinary shares for the year ended 31st May 2006 of 25,272,459 (2005 -
27,587,026).
FRS22 requires that diluted earnings per share is calculated using the average
share price during the year. The company listed on AIM during the year, and so
the average share price since that time has been used in the above calculation.
Comparative figures for ordinary shares anticipate the 25:1 share split to
facilitate comparison with the current year.
6. Combined statement of movement in reserves and
reconciliation of shareholders' funds Group
Year ended
31st May
Share Investment Profit 2005
Share premium in own Revaluation and loss Total
capital account shares reserve account Total (as restated)
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
-------- ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
At 1st June
2005 -
as
previously 236,102 712,258 (1,258,268) - 2,575,073 2,265,165 1,431,696
stated
Prior year
adjustment
FRS 21 - - - - 300,013 300,013 150,000
------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
At 1st June
2005 -
as restated 236,102 712,258 (1,258,268) - 2,875,086 2,565,178 1,581,696
Revaluation
reserve - - - 134,506 - 134,506 -
Share 31,675 645,025 230,985 - - 907,685 -
allotment
Profit
retained
for - - - - 724,444 724,444 983,482
the period ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
At 31st
May 267,777 1,357,283 (1,027,283) 134,506 3,599,530 4,331,813 2,565,178
2006 ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Investments in own shares relate to City of London Investments Group Plc shares
held by an Employee Benefit Trust on behalf of City of London Investment Group
Plc.
At 31st May 2006 the Trust held 2,262,750 ordinary 1p shares (2005 - 111,042
ordinary 25p shares), of which 2,247,050 ordinary 1p shares (2005 - 102,748
ordinary 25p shares) were subject to options in issue.
In total, the company has granted options over 4,747,050 ordinary shares at
exercise prices from £0.26 to £1.40. These options have a range of exercise
dates from September 2000 to March 2016.
7. Reconciliation of operating profit to net cash inflow from
operating activities
2005
2006 (as restated)
£ £
--------------------------- ---------- ------------
Operating profit 4,681,695 2,060,316
Profit on sale of fixed assets (9,519) -
Depreciation charges 108,112 98,541
Decrease in debtors (1,043,783) (468,946)
Increase in creditors 408,417 509,527
Translation adjustments on investments 502 (101)
--------------------------- ---------- ------------
Net cash inflow from operating activities 4,145,424 2,199,337
--------------------------- ---------- ------------
8. Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net funds
2005
2006 (as restated)
£ £
Increase in cash in the year 310,875 1,155,968
Increase in liquid assets 761,167 311,027
Non cash changes 134,506 -
Change in net funds 1,206,548 1,466,995
Net funds at 1st June 2,861,930 1,394,935
Net funds at 31st May 4,068,478 2,861,930
9. Analysis of changes in net funds
At At
1st June Cash Revaluation 31st May
2005 flows reserve 2006
£ £ £ £
Cash at bank and in hand 2,398,040 310,875 - 2,708,915
Current asset investments 463,890 761,167 134,506 1,359,563
2,861,930 1,072,042 134,506 4,068,478
10. Copies of the Annual Report for the year ended 31st May 2006 are available
from the Company's Registered office 10 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1LX, and will be
sent to shareholders shortly.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange