Ebiquity Plc
("the Company" or "Ebiquity")
Pre-close trading statement
Ebiquity plc, the leading independent marketing analytics specialists, today announces a pre-close trading statement for the full year ended 30 April 2015 (the "year").
Ebiquity has enjoyed high single-digit revenue growth on a like for like, constant currency basis. This is the highest in the Company's recent history and shows further acceleration in revenue growth from that reported in the interim results for the year.
The Company's Marketing Performance Optimization (MPO) and Media Value Measurement (MVM) divisions, which together account for approximately 65% of total revenues, have both delivered double-digit sales growth (the MPO division alone grew at more than 40%). We continue to see increasing demand for the services in these two divisions as our clients seek assistance in achieving greater data transparency and improved marketing performance.
The Company's Market Intelligence (MI) division operates in a highly competitive market and we continue to see revenue impacted, but at a slower rate than in the year ended April 2014 ("last year"). As we stated in our interim results, during the course of the year wecommenced an enhancement programme to the division's services and delivery platform, which continues into the year which started on 1 May 2015 (the "current year"). Once completed, we expect this programme to return the division's revenues to modest growth.
During the year we made significant investments in both people and technology in order to drive greater, sustainable revenue growth across the group. This is already proving successful with stronger top-line growth and several significant new business wins in the final quarter of the year. The majority of revenues from these wins however will be recognised in the current year and, given the investments mentioned above, this is likely to result in some softening of margins for the year.
The Company expects in the second half of the year a similar adverse foreign exchange rate impact on profit before tax as in the first half of the year. However, profit before tax for the year on a constant currency basis will be in line with the Board's expectations.
We continue to see positive client engagement and increasing contract sizes. We begin the current year with a very strong pipeline of new business and high visibility over the Company's revenue targets for the current year.
The Board continues to have great confidence in the Company's future and will be making a recommendation for the Company's maiden dividend when it reports the final results for the year on 29 July 2015.
27 May 2015
Enquiries:
Ebiquity plc Michael Greenlees (CEO) Andrew Beach (CFOO)
Instinctif Partners Matthew Smallwood Guy Scarborough |
020 7650 9600
020 7457 2020 |
Numis Securities Limited Nick Westlake (NOMAD) David Poutney, James Serjeant (Corporate Broker) |
020 7260 1000 |