Final Results
Expro International Group PLC
31 May 2007
31 May 2007
EXPRO INTERNATIONAL GROUP PLC
("Expro" or "the Group")
Preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2007
Financial Highlights
• Record set of results in line with expectations despite weaker US dollar
• Significant organic and acquisitive growth
• Successful acquisition of Power Well Services - performance has exceeded
expectations
• Record investment in technology development driven by AX-S(TM)rigless
progress
• Winner of Oil and Gas sector RoSPA award for second consecutive year
• Record order book of over £600m on the back of £200m new contracts
announced today
• Strong outlook
• Dividend increased
Year ended Year ended Change
31 March 2007 31 March 2006
Revenue £518.8m £300.7m +73%
Underlying operating profit (a) £72.5m £34.9m +108%
Underlying operating margin 14.0% 11.6% +2.4pt
Underlying EPS (*b) 37.8p 24.9p +52%
Headline EPS (*c) 34.1p 24.2p +41%
Statutory operating profit £66.8m £34.1m +96%
Statutory operating margin 12.9% 11.3% +1.6pt
Statutory continuing EPS (*) 34.1p 23.6p +44%
Net cash from operating activities £67.9m £58.4m +16%
Free cash flow (d) £18.6m £10.4m +80%
Dividends per share 11.8p 10.9p +8%
Net bank borrowings (e) £170.5m £17.1m
* All references to earnings per share (EPS) are calculated using the basic
number of shares
a Underlying operating profit, as extracted from the income statement, is
based on continuing and discontinued operations and is before exceptional
items and intangible asset amortisation that arises on business
combinations. Exceptional items are classified as those which management
has identified and disclosed as material one-off or unusual items. In the
prior year, exceptional items comprise gains on disposal of businesses
b Underlying EPS is based on continuing and discontinued operations and is
before exceptional items and intangible asset amortisation that arises on
business combinations and is calculated under note 6
c Headline EPS is based on continuing and discontinued operations and is
before exceptional items but includes amortisation arising on business
combinations and is calculated under note 6
d As calculated in the financial review
e Bank loans of £201.2m (2006: £62.7m) and overdrafts of £2.1m (2006: nil)
less cash of £32.9m (2006: £45.6m), as extracted from the consolidated
balance sheet
Commenting on the results, Graeme Coutts, Chief Executive, said, "I am delighted
to announce today a record set of results, which reflect a balance of
acquisitive and organic growth, and which have been achieved despite the
headwind of a weaker US dollar. The performance of Power Well Services and its
subsequent successful integration has exceeded our original expectations, and
the combined business now provides an enhanced platform to execute Expro's
strategy. We continue to invest heavily in "sweet spot" technology
opportunities, enhance our customer care activities, and develop centres of
critical mass that maximise the benefit of the Group's operating leverage. The
execution of this strategy has generated the record results we have announced
today and fuelled the largest order book the Group has ever experienced. This,
together with generally favourable market conditions, leads me to believe that
the outlook for Expro in 2007/08 and beyond remains positive."
- Ends -
For further information please contact:
Expro International Group PLC On 31 May 2007: 020 7067 0700
Graeme Coutts, Chief Executive Thereafter: 0118 959 1341
Michael Speakman, Finance Director
Weber Shandwick Financial 020 7067 0700
Kirsty Raper / Rachel Taylor / Stephanie Badjonat
An analyst meeting will be held at 09.30 this morning at the offices of
Weber Shandwick Financial, Fox Court, 14 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8WS
Financial calendar
Annual General Meeting 5 July 2007
Ex dividend date 27 June 2007
Record date 29 June 2007
Final dividend payable 31 July 2007
Notes to Editors
Expro's business is well flow management. Expro is a leading provider of
products and services that measure, improve, control and process flow from
high-value oil and gas wells. Key niche businesses must be able to command and
sustain market share leadership through a combination of technological
pre-eminence and/or operational economies of scale. They will have a high
knowledge and service content and will be able to anticipate, meet and exceed
customers' expectations. With its head office in the UK, Expro employs more than
4,000 highly-trained staff in 50 countries. For more information, please visit
the Expro website www.exprogroup.com
Expro International Group PLC
("Expro" or "the Group")
Preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2007
Chairman's and Chief Executive's Statement
The Board is delighted to report a strong set of results for the financial year
ended 31 March 2007, reflecting the successful execution of our strategy and
continued growth across the expanded Expro business. These results include nine
months of contribution from Power Well Services (PWS). This acquisition marked a
"step change" in the development of Expro. However, importantly, this
acquisitive performance has complemented robust organic growth from both the
existing Expro and acquired PWS businesses. This combined growth has generated
an underlying earnings per share (a) of 37.8 pence, a 52% increase on the same
period last year. On a headline basis (b), earnings per share of 34.1p grew by
41% compared with the prior period. The Board is recommending an increase in the
final dividend to 8.0p (2006: 7.1p) bringing the full year dividend to 11.8
pence. This increase in dividend balances the Board's confidence in the
sustainability of the achievements to-date whilst recognising the continuing
need to reinvest in the business.
Expro has a focused strategy aimed at delivering a balance between short and
long-term shareholder performance. The acquisition of PWS in July 2006 has
strengthened Expro's position as a global top-tier supplier of oil and gas
services in most of the key upstream markets of the world. Our portfolio now
contains a blend of technology and market reach, ideally positioned for the high
activity levels of the late cycle.
Markets
Market conditions for upstream services remained positive during the year. In
addition, the market saw the beginning of a notable change in the strategic
direction of our international customers. Their focus is increasingly turning to
subsea, and particularly deepwater provinces, where they see greater future
opportunity. This in turn has fuelled strong demand for high specification
floating rigs, capable of meeting our customers' operating objectives out to and
beyond 2012. The acute shortage of these high specification rigs has led to a
dramatic increase in semi-submersible day rates and initiated an intensive
new-build programme to increase capacity in this high value segment. In
addition, national oil and gas companies have increased their domestic focus,
and consequently their activity levels, as they strive to achieve enhanced oil
and gas recovery from increasingly ageing assets. Expro has a well established
position with international customers and the acquisition of PWS has given Expro
greater exposure and a stronger presence in many of the national markets,
particularly the Middle East, Brazil and Norway.
Segmental review
Regional Businesses
Expro completed the operational and customer facing aspects of the PWS
integration during the second half of the financial period. The majority of the
PWS portfolio operates within Expro's Regional business segment. To best manage
this business and serve our customers we implemented the Eastern and Western
Hemisphere operating structure, further broken down into a total of seven global
regions. Each is focused on their respective geographic market. Whilst the
strategic rationale for the PWS acquisition was entirely driven by future growth
which inevitably takes time to mature, the combination has yielded cost
synergies, earlier and higher than planned. Achieving critical-mass in areas of
operations is a vital part of Expro's business strategy. Under our strategy, the
new geographic structures and PWS acquisition have significantly advanced this
objective. Enhanced Expro contracts are in place in key markets such as Saudi
Arabia, Brazil and Norway, giving clear evidence of customer acceptance and
providing a basis for future progress.
Western Hemisphere
In the Western Hemisphere, managed from Houston, Expro has established
significant presence in both South and North America. Our strategic focus for
the Western Hemisphere is clearly on technically appreciative markets with the
majority of our activities in Brazil, deepwater Gulf of Mexico and the
unconventional gas plays of North America.
Western Hemisphere total revenues were up 183% at £97.9 million. Highlights
include a new four year Petrobras contract in Brazil. This contract is the first
of its kind in Brazil for Expro and opens the way for continued progress in this
highly active offshore market. In North America, our Power Chokes business had
an excellent year. This business focuses on the high pressure and unconventional
North American gas fracture market, which has been relatively resilient to
fluctuations in domestic gas price.
In the period we withdrew from the Canadian commodity market via the disposal of
Expro Canada to Enseco Energy Services Corporation. This reflects our strategy
to compete in markets where we can demonstrate differentiation through
technology and quality.
Eastern Hemisphere
In the Eastern Hemisphere, the PWS combination has increased capability in three
of our existing regions; Europe/FSU, West Africa and Asia, and allowed us to
create a new management focus in the substantial markets of North Africa and the
Middle East. PWS has given Expro excellent new positions in Saudi Arabia and
Egypt, and the acquired activities in Algeria and Libya have been integrated
with existing Expro operations, to create a strong regional presence for
investment and continued growth. As a consequence, full year revenues for the
Eastern Hemisphere increased by 66% to £224.0 million.
Our position in Europe/FSU was also materially improved with the addition of a
very strong Norwegian business. This market is very appreciative of technology,
and Expro is already benefiting from closer links with Statoil, as they move
into overseas locations. In addition, our position in Kazakhstan has also been
enhanced. The UK North Sea continued to grow and to provide good opportunity for
technology deployment as our customers strive to reduce operating cost and
recover late cycle reserves from this ageing but politically secure province.
Whilst still an important market for Expro, the Group's dependence upon the
region has dramatically reduced in recent years.
In Asia, where it is essential to establish areas of critical mass, the
integration of PWS has provided a strong basis for growth. There are three main
areas of focus for this region. In Australia, where Expro has been established
for many years, progress in the period was very good. Malaysia made good
progress driven by the commencement of the PWS initiated pan-Malaysian
welltesting and subsea tools contract for Shell. In Indonesia we continued to
make progress.
The West Africa region is primarily focused on two large operating countries,
Nigeria and Angola. Our Angolan business is entirely deepwater focused, where we
have an excellent position providing technology essential to the exploration,
development, commissioning and maintenance of deepwater fields. Our blue-chip,
international customer base has been investing throughout the period and we
expect this to continue for many years to come. In Nigeria we have a more
diverse business portfolio, although these operations are experiencing similar
conditions to the deepwater business. The addition of PWS has equipped Expro
with a strong local workforce to service this growing demand. Highlights in the
period include the establishment of a material operating capability in Angola,
where Expro has successfully deployed welltesting facilities on seven deepwater
semi-submersible rigs for Total and BP. This increase in capability has required
recruitment and training of national employees. Throughout the region national
staff content is increasingly essential to meet our operating requirements as
well as government regulation. This is a common feature, not just in our West
African business, but globally. The combination of Expro and PWS has given us
access to skilled national personnel across all our operating regions.
Global Businesses
In the second half of the year Expro continued to make material progress in the
three businesses which make up our Global businesses; TronicMatre, Subsea safety
tools and Production Solutions.
TronicMatre continued to benefit from the global growth in new subsea wells
providing instrumentation and connectors, resulting in full year revenues of
£46.5 million, an increase of 18% over the prior year. In the year Tronic
performed many Front-end Engineering Design studies for customers with future
requirement for seabed power applications. These studies relate to technical
feasibility for future prospects and are usually a key lead indicator of new
business some 24 months out.
Our flagship Subsea safety tools business is now benefiting from of our previous
investment in technology development. In the year the business grew 47% to £57.4
million. Included in this performance were many firsts for Expro and the
industry. The build and delivery of the Tahiti high pressure, electro-hydraulic,
ultra-deep tools for Chevron in the Gulf of Mexico was a significant milestone.
Tahiti has pushed technological barriers within the industry and we continue to
strive to assist our international customers develop increasingly difficult
deepwater reserves. Likewise our specialised tools have also been extensively
deployed in the West Africa deepwater developments by BP, Total and ExxonMobil.
Production Solutions also had an exceptional year growing 84% to £73.1 million.
The highlight was the outstanding performance for ExxonMobil on their Chayvo
project on Sakhalin Island. This 14 month project was completed at the end of
the calendar year when Exxon commissioned their full production plant. As a
result our production facility became redundant and Exxon elected to exercise
their right to purchase the system for future use. This project was exceptional
in terms of complexity, performance and value to Expro. The period also saw the
build delivery and commissioning of Chevron's Dibi production barge in Nigeria.
This barge was custom built in country to produce up to 50,000 bbl of liquids
from the Dibi field.
Technology
New technology development remains essential to our positioning and significant
progress has been made in all areas of Expro's focused strategy. Record
investment levels have been dedicated to develop and deliver the next generation
of Expro technology. Our flagship AX-S(TM)rigless intervention concept continues
to take shape. Good progress, both technical and commercial, has been made
within the period. The detailed engineering phase was substantially completed
and discussions over an initial commercial framework commenced to secure funding
assistance and initial field trial applications. The market for subsea well
intervention is developing very quickly. Our major international customers are
looking for technically innovative, cost effective solutions to increase the
recovery factors from their expensive subsea assets. The commercial progress of
our Subsea tools business is directly linked to our efforts in technology
development and activity throughout the period has kept us focussed on meeting
the future customer needs.
Technology development also features highly in our Regional business. Our
investment in cased hole logging technology continues to make progress in
delivering unique solutions to clients. In the UK North Sea, Expro installed
the world's first cableless subsea well monitoring system for BP. The CaTSTM
tool was deployed in an abandoned well to determine connectivity with the nearby
Clair platform. Other world firsts were achieved using CaTS(TM)technology
offshore Australia to monitor pressure and temperature behind casing in a
producing well.
Downhole video technology continued to gain client acceptance globally. We
successfully introduced our new ViewMax(TM)product with a rotating horizontal
camera into the Gulf of Mexico and Canada saving operators many hours of rig
time by simplifying operations. In addition, new enhanced video technology was
successfully integrated into traditional sensors with the introduction of the
WIT(TM)(Water Investigation Tool) and the CalVid(TM)(Caliper/Video) tool. The
WIT (TM)tool has already gained excellent client acceptance in Canada and
CalVid(TM)is beginning to displace traditional caliper logging in the North Sea
market.
Outlook
The integration of PWS has given Expro a broader international identity and an
enhanced platform to progress our strategies, delivering a positive outlook for
the coming period and beyond. Expro is now well positioned to grow with both
national and international oil and gas customers. We have a technology portfolio
suited to meet our customers' ongoing requirements and an outstanding talent
pool of national staff to progress these relationships. In the flagship
deepwater markets where operating costs are high, our customers are focused on
technical innovation and service quality. These are the Expro strengths and form
the foundation of our focused strategy. We continue to invest heavily in niche
technology opportunities, enhance our customer care, develop critical mass in
the areas we choose to operate in and maximise the Group's operating leverage.
The successful execution of our strategy has helped fuel our performance and
positioned us to benefit from what we believe to be positive market conditions
for next year and beyond.
Board and Management
Colin Ainger retired as Corporate Development Director on 6 July 2006 having
served the company for 24 years. Colin was originally appointed to the Board as
Finance Director in 1992 and helped lead the Group through the Management Buy
Out and subsequent flotation. John McAlister joined the Board as Group General
Counsel on 12 June 2006. John has joined us from National Grid PLC where he was
Deputy General Counsel.
Mike Martindale retired as Chief Operating Officer on 31 December 2006. Mike
served the company for 11 years, spending four years as Chief Operating Officer.
Mike was succeeded by Gavin Prise, who was appointed Chief Operating Officer on
1 January 2007. Gavin has held several positions within Expro, most recently as
Director of the Eastern Hemisphere operating region and brings extensive
industry experience to the Board.
Tim Eggar has decided not to seek re-election as a non executive director as he
wishes to expand his other business interests. Tim will stand down at the AGM on
5 July 2007. Bob Bennett joined the board as a non-executive director on 30 May
2007.
The Board would like to record its appreciation to Colin, Mike and Tim for their
valuable service and welcome John, Gavin and Bob to the Board.
Finally, we would like to thank all of Expro's dedicated employees around the
world for their continuing enthusiasm and support.
a Underlying EPS is based on continuing and discontinued operations and is
before exceptional items and intangible asset amortisation that arises on
business combinations and is calculated under note 6. Exceptional items are
classified as those which management has identified and disclosed as
material one-off or unusual items. In the prior year, exceptional items
comprise gains on disposal of businesses
b Headline EPS is based on continuing and discontinued operations and is
before exceptional items but includes amortisation arising on business
combinations and is calculated under note 6.
Operations review
Organisational Development
Expro's businesses have grown substantially throughout the current year, both
organically and through the acquisition of PWS. In order to deliver our ongoing
business and also to support further sustained growth we have successfully
re-shaped the Regional organisation. The new structure has been implemented
without disruption to ongoing business and was designed to effectively harness
the talents of legacy Expro and legacy PWS management and operational personnel.
Expro's Regional operations are now delivered across the two Hemispheres - East
and West.
The Eastern Hemisphere comprises the Regional businesses of:
• Europe/FSU
• West Africa
• North Africa/Middle East
• Asia
The Western Hemisphere comprises the Regional businesses of:
• North America - Land
• North America - Offshore
• Latin America
In addition to the Regional businesses, Expro has continued to deliver a number
of Global businesses that rely on the Regional infrastructure for operations
support. The prospects for these Global businesses have been further enhanced by
the improved geographical coverage of the Regional infrastructure.
During the last year we have also put significant effort into our safety,
service quality and personal development programmes. Across our entire Expro
business we are committed to "Excellence in Operations" and we now have over
4,000 employees with a significant presence in all key hydrocarbon producing
regions. Across all regions, we can effectively deliver a wide range of services
to the major international oil companies, the independents and to the
increasingly important national oil companies.
Regional Businesses
Europe/FSU
Europe/FSU remained our largest Region with the three main markets being the UK,
Norway and the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Activity throughout the year has been
at a sustained high level with strong margins.
In the UK we continued to have strong market share in our core services. We
supported our clients to complete an increased offshore development programme
whilst also meeting an increase in operator spending on production enhancement.
Key projects included Shell Corrib, Talisman Tweedsmuir, Maersk Dumbarton,
Venture Ensign and Nexen Buzzard.
In Norway we provided subsea safety tools on numerous subsea field developments
and we have also taken the leading market position on welltest activities
through the PWS acquisition. We now have direct welltest contracts with Statoil,
Hydro and most of the international oil companies.
In the FSU we further developed critical mass in both Kazakhstan and Russia. We
provided services on the Karachaganak and Kashagan developments in Kazakhstan,
both of which have demanding technical and operational requirements. We have
also provided welltesting services to Gazprom on the giant Schtokman field in
the Barents Sea and mobilised for Wintershall in Siberia. These major projects
were complemented by a growing number of smaller operations which we are now
able to support on a call-off basis.
West Africa
The newly formed West Africa region has comprehensively established Expro's
position of strength in the rapidly growing West African offshore markets.
In Nigeria we now provide a broad range of Expro services. From the Regional
business perspective we have a strong, locally staffed, welltest business.
However, the infrastructure has also been used effectively to deliver subsea and
production projects.
In Angola we delivered significant growth in welltest activity for BP on their
Block 18 and 31 activities and for Total on their broad range of appraisal and
development activities. At the same time we supported Chevron on their Cabinda
operations.
We also provided project specific services across a number of other West African
countries including various services for Petro SA in South Africa, ExxonMobil in
Equatorial Guinea and CNR in the Ivory Coast.
The West African business, with its large deepwater, subsea developments, has
tremendous growth characteristics for Expro and we have firm plans for further
facilities and organisational growth in line with our clients' long-term
committed development plans.
North Africa/Middle East
Our North Africa / Middle East region is now material and we have critical mass
in Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
In Algeria we have continued to support the development programmes of First
Calgary Petroleum, BP and Repsol. In Libya we now have a developed client base
and deliver welltest and cased hole support to Waha, Woodside and Repsol.
In Egypt the business progressed dramatically. A high level of call-off,
welltesting services were delivered with notable successes with Bapetco, VE-gas,
Shell and Rashpetco.
In Saudi Arabia there has been an exceptional demand for well testing services.
We extended our contract commitment with Aramco and we added additional
equipment and personnel to meet the growing demand. Plans are now being
progressed to develop a substantial, complimentary cased hole business.
Asia
During the year our regional business in Asia reached a defining moment. We now
have a critical mass of business across the breadth of Asia which is delivering
a material margin contribution independent of the Global businesses.
Australasia has performed very well with improved profitability across existing
business and we delivered new activity in New Zealand with Shell Todd and Origin
Energy.
In both Indonesia and Malaysia we have critical mass welltest businesses and we
provided services to a wide range of clients including Shell, Petronas Carigali,
Carigali Hess in Malaysia and to BP on their high profile Tangu project.
Meanwhile in Thailand we continued to provide volume wireline services to
Chevron.
Throughout the year we have also provided welltest and subsea services in India
to Cairn Rava and ONGC but we have yet to establish a strong long-term position
in this developing market.
North America
We continued to provide a range of well perforating, wireline intervention and
subsea services to the Gulf of Mexico shelf and deepwater markets. Meanwhile we
have provided a range of premium well perforating and clean-up services to the
North America land market. The offshore market has been sustained but is still
down on rig activity compared to pre-Hurricane Katrina. The onshore perforating
and clean-up business has been very strong due to the production decline-curve
characteristics of the US frac / horizontal wells. Our service portfolio of
premium well perforating, clean-up and cased hole evaluation (downhole video) is
well suited to this market.
Latin America
We now have a strong welltest business across the breadth of South America. We
have delivered welltest services in Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico,
however, the majority of the activity has been in Brazil. We provide a
significant part of Petrobras' welltest and clean-up services and during the
last quarter we have agreed a new contract to extend the supply of these
services for a four-year period. On the back of this contract we are reviewing
options to increase our scope of supply and further infrastructure investment.
Global Businesses
Subsea safety tools
Our subsea business had an outstanding year. We delivered high levels of
activity with our hydraulically actuated 7" subsea landing strings in the North
Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. This was complemented by a number of high-revenue
subsea exploration welltest activities. We also completed the build of our next
generation electro-hydraulic (EH) 7" subsea landing strings for Chevron's Tahiti
deepwater Gulf of Mexico project and Chevron's Agbami deepwater West Africa
project. These EH operated systems, required for safe deepwater applications,
have a much greater degree of technical sophistication than the direct hydraulic
controlled systems and will generate substantially greater revenue.
Production Solutions
Our Production Solutions business delivered record revenues across the year. We
had nine months of production on the ExxonMobil Chayvo project in Sakhalin
Island and completed an extended welltest for Shell on the BS-4 project in
Brazil. In addition to which we completed a number of successful equipment sales
and the construction of the barge-mounted production facility for Chevron's Dibi
project in Nigeria. Because of its discrete project nature, revenues from our
Production Solutions business can vary considerably from year to year. Contract
commitment for next year is less than the record levels achieved during this
year and hence we have re-shaped the Production Solutions team to further
enhance sales effectiveness.
Tronic / Matre
Our connectors and instrumentation business delivered further significant
growth. The connectors business progressed in line with the growth in subsea
wells, delivering a number of major subsea power connector systems. The power
projects included systems for BP King, Kvaerner Oilfield Products on Statoil's
Tyrihans project and Framo on Oilexco's Brenda project. We also began to see an
increase in package sales across our full range of connectors and
instrumentation products such as to Vetco on the Ettrick project. Assembly and
delivery output has been increased during the year. Recognising the rapid growth
in subsea well installations projected for the next few years we have now
developed plans for new assembly facilities to support continued growth over the
next five-year period.
Acknowledgement
The directors would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment,
professionalism and enthusiasm of the Expro teams across all parts of the
business. The integration of PWS as well as ongoing operational and business
success is a credit to a great team effort.
Financial Review
Overview
The year represented a landmark for Expro. Revenue, EPS and investment have all
reached their highest level in the Group's history and the acquisition and
integration of PWS represents a significant step in the development of the Group
from both a financial and operational performance standpoint.
Measuring performance
Within our annual report reference is made to our non-statutory measures of
underlying operating profit and underlying EPS. The underlying measures exclude
exceptional items which management has identified and disclosed as material
one-off or unusual items together with intangible asset amortisation that arises
on business combinations. This is consistent with the way that financial
performance is measured by management and we believe assists in providing a
meaningful analysis of the trading results of the Group.
Trading performance
Revenues of £518.8m were up by £218.1m, with the increase of 73% generated by a
combination of strong organic growth across both the Regional and Global
business segments and the inclusion of nine months trading from the acquisition
of PWS. This significant level of growth was achieved despite the weaker dollar,
with the rate in the year averaging at 1.88 versus a prior year comparison of
1.79.
Underlying operating profit more than doubled to £72.5m, in part due to the
acquisitive and organic growth and also through a continuing improvement in
margin over the previous year from pricing and the Group's operating leverage.
While Expro continues to benefit from the buoyant market for oil field services,
these superior results are also due in part to our determination to provide our
customers with services which are excellent, innovative and safe.
Investment
Research and development
Expro continues to fund record levels of development, primarily against the
on-going development of the AX-S(TM)rigless intervention system and next year we
expect to further increase spend in this area as the technology develops.
Capital expenditure
Significant capital expenditure in the period includes the amounts incurred on
the Tahiti landing string and the Dibi EPF, with both projects generating cash
inflows in the following year.
Taxation
The tax charge of £20.8m represents an effective rate of 37.9% consistent with
the previous year's rate. Expro's operations have a wide geographic coverage,
resulting in differing taxation regimes depending on the location in which those
activities take place. The effective rate reflects this broad geographic spread
of profits, unrecoverable losses in certain territories, a variety of imputed
and higher rate overseas tax regimes and non-deductible items. Tax continues to
be a key priority for the Group, particularly the careful management of the
long-term underlying tax rate. Closure of tax positions throughout the Group's
operating territories also remains a priority.
Earnings per share (EPS)
Underlying EPS, which has been defined above, increased by 52% to 37.8p.
Continuing EPS increased by 44% to 34.1p. In calculating these increases on the
prior year, the previously published EPS measures have been restated as required
under IAS 33, allowing for the impact of the discounted rights issue that took
place on 26 July 2006. Further details of the rights issue are included below
and the full calculation of EPS is included under note 6.
Expro also publishes a headline EPS measure which includes the intangible asset
amortisation that arises on business combinations, but excludes items which
management identifies and discloses as material one-off or unusual items.
Headline EPS increased from 24.2p to 34.1p, an increase of 41%, with the
comparator again being adjusted for the discounted rights issue.
Free cash flow
Despite record levels of capital investment, Expro has again achieved its
objective of delivering improved cash flow.
2007 2006
£m £m
Net cash from operating activities 67.9 58.4
Interest received 1.9 0.6
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment 5.2 0.8
Purchases of property, plant and equipment (56.2) (49.3)
Purchases of intangible assets (0.2) (0.1)
Free cash flow 18.6 10.4
Dividends paid (9.4) (8.0)
Dividend cover 199% 130%
Dividends
At the time of flotation, the Board established a dividend policy of covering
the dividend at 2.5 times earnings, and an additional target was set in 2003, of
free cash cover of 2 times dividend. The Board remain committed to this policy
as a means of balancing both short and longer term shareholder interests.
The Board is recommending an increase in the final dividend to 8.0p (2006: 7.1p)
bringing the full year dividend to 11.8 pence. This increase in dividend
balances the Board's confidence in the sustainability of the achievements
to-date whilst recognising the continuing need to reinvest in the business.
Acquisitions and disposals
This year featured a number of acquisitions and disposals, reflecting Group
strategy, the most significant of which was the acquisition of PWS for £366.0m
($674.5m) on a cash free debt free basis. The cash outflow included within the
cash flow statement reflects the fact that the opening balance sheet of PWS
included net debt of £131.1m ($237.7m), and that part of the consideration paid
was via the issue of shares valued at £61.6m ($115.0m). The effective date of
the acquisition was 3 July 2006 which represented the point at which Expro
shareholders gave approval for the acquisition and Expro management gained
control of the operations and finances of PWS.
PWS offered services at locations which complemented Expro's existing business
and this synergetic match greatly simplified the task of fully integrating PWS
into the Group. The extent of the integration has meant that it has not been
practicable to calculate the post-acquisition operating profit that arose from
the acquisition with sufficient accuracy for inclusion in the financial
statements. Goodwill of £175.5m ($321.5m) and identifiable intangible assets of
£102.2m ($185.3m) arose on the acquisition, resulting in an annualised charge of
$13.2m. The majority of the intangible assets relate to the values placed on
customer contracts and relationships which must be valued in accordance with
IFRS 3. Expro's pre-existing contracts and customer relationships are not valued
and hence do not feature on the Group's balance sheet. The intangible
amortisation charge arising on acquisition is therefore added back in order to
arrive at underlying performance which management believes gives a more
consistent and comparable profit and earnings measure. Further information on
the acquisition is included under note 9.
Towards the end of the year, with an effective date of 28 February 2007, Expro
completed the disposal of its Canadian Wireline and TCP business to Enseco
Energy Services Corporation. The disposal did not represent an accounting
discontinued operation as Expro continues to offer more technologically enhanced
products and services in Canada, (including its downhole tractor services,
Excape completion services), and continues to provide Wireline and TCP in more
operationally challenging market segments. The realised sale consideration was
£3.7m (CAD$8.6m, which comprised cash received of £1.8m (CAD$4.2m), a deferred
working capital element of £0.6m (CAD$1.4m) and an unsecured convertible
debenture valued at £1.3m (CAD$3.0m). The nominal value of the transaction was
CAD$14.0m comprising of CAD$4.2m cash and an unsecured convertible debenture
with a nominal value of CAD$9.8m). Further information on the disposal is
included under note 8.
Share issue and debt refinancing
In order to effect the acquisition of PWS, as well as enabling the Group to
achieve a more balanced capital structure for the year ahead, Expro issued new
share capital, in part via a rights issue, as well as re-financing its long-term
borrowing facility.
After net issue costs of £3m, the 5:14 rights issue on 26 July 2006 raised
£127.6m and resulted in 26,170,121 shares being issued at £5 per share. The
premium arising on this share issue was credited against the merger reserve and
subsequently credited to retained earnings. The transfer to merger reserve
rather than share premium account was made by taking advantage of merger relief
under Section 131 of the Companies Act 1985. This relief was applicable as a
result of the issue of new shares in the Group for shares in a so-called "cash
box" subsidiary. In addition, on 31 July 2006 a further 9,155,961 ordinary
shares of 10 pence each were issued to First Reserve as part consideration for
the acquisition of PWS. These shares were issued at a price of £6.73 per share.
The premium arising on this share issue was credited to other reserves.
The re-financing exercise took the form of a new $550.0m borrowing facility
repayable over 5 years. An initial amount of £271.5m was drawn which in part was
used to settle existing bank loans of £60.9m as well as settling £135.1m of debt
within the opening PWS balance sheet. Since the initial draw down, Expro has
repaid £53.0m of debt, and after the effects of foreign exchange the total bank
debt outstanding at the year-end is £203.3m. The interest payable on this
facility is dependent on LIBOR plus a margin. At 31 March 2007 the total amount
drawn under the Group's main facility was $397.0m giving significant headroom of
$153.0m.
Financial risk management
Expro has significant overseas operations whose principal transactional and
functional currencies are US dollars. The Group has US dollar denominated
revenues of approximately 58% (2006: 47%), sterling denominated revenues of
approximately 26% (2006: 38%) and other currency revenues of 16% (2006: 15%).
Mitigating the Group's exposure to currency risk continues to be a key priority.
In order to minimise this exposure, the Group has a policy of natural hedging
and this partially mitigates the impact of currency movements in terms of
profits, cash and net assets. In addition, the Group also has foreign currency
loans, principally US Dollars, which mitigate its exposure to foreign currency
denominated net assets.
Pensions
The Group's pension scheme deficit decreased from £19.3m to £17.5m with the
defined benefit section closing to members on 1 October 1999. The last actuarial
valuation to be carried out for funding purposes was on 6 April 2005, and the
actuarial valuation deficit of £6.9m was some £17.0m lower than the equivalent
IAS 19 valuation.
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
Year ended 31 March 2007
2007 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Underlying Exceptional Total Underlying Exceptional Total
performance items and performance items and
amortisation (a) amortisation (a)
Continuing
operations
Revenue 518,820 - 518,820 300,727 - 300,727
Cost of
sales (427,798) (5,733) (433,531) (254,516) (735) (255,251)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Gross profit 91,022 (5,733) 85,289 46,211 (735) 45,476
Administration
expenses (18,480) - (18,480) (11,360) - (11,360)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Operating
profit 72,542 (5,733) 66,809 34,851 (735) 34,116
Post tax
profit from
associates
Share of
results of
associates 102 - 102 - - -
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Operating
profit
including
associates 72,644 (5,733) 66,911 34,851 (735) 34,116
Investment
income 6,327 - 6,327 3,855 - 3,855
Finance
costs (18,133) - (18,133) (8,409) - (8,409)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Net finance
costs (11,806) - (11,806) (4,554) - (4,554)
Profit before
tax 60,838 (5,733) 55,105 30,297 (735) 29,562
Tax (22,831) 1,985 (20,846) (11,430) 226 (11,204)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Profit after
tax 38,007 (3,748) 34,259 18,867 (509) 18,358
Discontinued
operations
Post tax
profit from
joint ventures - - - 441 - 441
Post tax gain
from disposal
of joint
ventures - - - - 9,661 9,661
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Profit for the
year 38,007 (3,748) 34,259 19,308 9,152 28,460
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Attributable
to:
Equity holders
of the parent 37,875 (3,748) 34,127 19,259 9,152 28,411
Minority
interest 132 - 132 49 - 49
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
38,007 (3,748) 34,259 19,308 9,152 28,460
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Earnings per
share
From
continuing
and
discontinued
operations
Basic 37.8p 34.1p 24.9p 36.6p
________ ________ ________ ________
Diluted 37.3p 33.6p 24.5p 36.1p
________ ________ ________ ________
From
continuing
operations
Basic 34.1p 23.6p
________ ________
Diluted 33.6p 23.3p
________ ________
a Underlying performance is based on continuing and discontinued operations and
is before exceptional items and intangible asset amortisation that arises on
business combinations. Exceptional items are classified as those which
management has identified and disclosed as material one-off or unusual items. In
the prior year, exceptional items comprise gains on disposal of businesses.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF RECOGNISED INCOME AND EXPENSE
Year ended 31 March 2007
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Loss on cash flow hedges (3,563) (2,951)
Exchange differences on translation of foreign
operations (16,931) 5,672
Actuarial gains on defined benefit pension schemes 2,165 4,451
Tax on items taken directly to equity (732) 567
________ ________
Net (expense) / income recognised directly in equity (19,061) 7,739
Transfers
Transferred to profit and loss on disposal of joint
venture foreign operations - (365)
Transferred to profit and loss on disposal of
subsidiaries (344) -
Transferred to profit and loss on maturity of cash flow
hedges 273 1,815
Profit for the year 34,259 28,460
________ ________
Total recognised income and expense for the year 15,127 37,649
________ ________
Attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent 14,995 37,600
Minority interest 132 49
________ ________
15,127 37,649
________ ________
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
At 31 March 2007
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Non-current assets
Goodwill 180,438 20,511
Intangible assets 99,458 9,221
Property, plant and equipment 194,307 95,423
Investments 1,297 -
Interests in associates 278 -
Deferred tax assets 7,536 6,365
________ ________
483,314 131,520
Current assets
Inventories 31,685 19,237
Trade and other receivables 161,646 95,577
Cash 32,872 45,642
________ ________
226,203 160,456
________ ________
Total assets 709,517 291,976
________ ________
Current liabilities
Bank overdraft (2,142) -
Bank loan (294) -
Trade and other payables (108,697) (73,159)
Current tax liabilities (28,427) (12,549)
Finance leases (1,607) (768)
Derivative financial instruments - (295)
Provisions (55) (188)
________ ________
(141,222) (86,959)
Non-current liabilities
Bank loans (200,911) (62,699)
Retirement benefit obligation (17,490) (19,348)
Deferred tax liabilities (31,573) (2,428)
Finance leases (8,088) (7,972)
Derivative financial instruments - (138)
Provisions (848) (2,882)
________ ________
(258,910) (95,467)
________ ________
Total liabilities (400,132) (182,426)
________ ________
Net assets 309,385 109,550
________ ________
Equity
Share capital 10,958 7,328
Share premium account 3,796 570
Other reserve 60,677 -
Hedging and translation reserve (17,494) 3,099
Own shares - (352)
Equity reserve 1,544 1,032
Retained earnings 249,724 97,841
________ ________
Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent 309,205 109,518
Minority interest 180 32
________ ________
Total equity 309,385 109,550
________ ________
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised
for issue on 30 May 2007.
CONSOLIDATED CASHFLOW STATEMENT
Year ended 31 March 2007
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Operating profit 66,809 34,116
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 39,545 30,445
(Gain)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment (2,398) 1,771
Amortisation of intangible assets 6,679 1,469
Impairments and write back of negative goodwill 1,216 718
Share-based payments 910 615
Retirement benefit (credit) / charge (471) 251
________ ________
Operating cash flows before movements in working capital 112,290 69,385
Increase in inventories (2,587) (2,611)
Increase in receivables (25,689) (21,263)
Increase in payables 11,840 25,589
________ ________
Cash generated by operations 95,854 71,100
Income taxes paid (15,580) (9,209)
Interest paid (12,341) (3,534)
________ ________
Net cash from operating activities 67,933 58,357
________ ________
Investing activities
Interest received 1,916 614
Purchases of property, plant and equipment (56,222) (49,288)
Proceeds on disposal of property, plant and equipment 5,198 846
Purchases of intangible assets (235) (100)
Net cash outflow on acquisition of subsidiaries (175,000) (6,075)
Investment in associates (185) -
Proceeds on disposal of subsidiary 1,718 -
Payments on disposal of joint ventures (996) -
Proceeds on disposal of joint ventures - 15,319
Proceeds on disposal of joint ventures in prior year - 4,797
Payment of deferred consideration (115) (334)
________ ________
Net cash used in investing activities (223,921) (34,221)
________ ________
Financing activities
Issue of share capital 130,915 25,555
Proceeds on the exercise of options over own shares 629 -
Dividends paid (9,355) (7,956)
Initial drawing of loans under new facility 271,539 -
Repayment of loan under old facility (60,913) -
Repayment of loan assumed on acquisition (135,140) -
Repayment of loan under new facility (52,983) -
Repayments of finance leases (1,980) (1,305)
________ ________
Net cash from financing activities 142,712 16,294
________ ________
Net (decrease)/increase in cash (13,276) 40,430
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 45,642 5,009
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes (1,636) 203
________ ________
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 30,730 45,642
________ ________
Notes to the Consolidated Accounts
Year ended 31 March 2007
1. General information
Expro International Group PLC ("the Group") is a company incorporated in England
and Wales under the Companies Act 1985 and is domiciled in the United Kingdom.
These financial statements are presented in pounds sterling because that is the
currency of the parent company which is domiciled in the United Kingdom.
The financial information set out above does not constitute the Company's
statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985.
The statutory accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2006 have been
delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors' report on those accounts
was unqualified and did not contain any statements under Section 237(2) or (3)
of the Companies Act 1985.
The auditors' report for the year ended 31 March 2007 is unqualified and does
not contain any statements under Section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act
1985. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting
policies set out below. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 March 2007
will be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented by the
directors in this preliminary announcement, and will be delivered to the
Registrar of Companies following the Company's annual general meeting.
2. Significant accounting policies
Basis of preparation
Whilst the preliminary announcement has been prepared in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and with those parts of the
Companies Act 1985 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS, this
announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with IFRS.
The Group will publish full financial statements that comply with IFRS in May
2007.
The financial statements have been prepared on the historic cost basis, except
for the revaluation of certain financial instruments.
The accounting policies applied are consistent with those adopted and disclosed
in the Group's annual financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006,
with the exception of the following significant accounting policies that differ
to those previously published.
Investments in associates
An associate is an entity over which the Group is in a position to exercise
significant influence, but not control or joint control, through participation
in the financial and operating policy decisions of the investee. Significant
influence is the power to participate in the financial and operating policy
decisions of the investee but is not control or joint control over those
policies.
The results and assets and liabilities of associates are incorporated in these
financial statements using the equity method of accounting except when
classified as held for sale. Investments in associates are carried in the
balance sheet at cost as adjusted by post-acquisition changes in the Group's
share of the net assets of the associate, less any impairment in the value of
individual investments. Losses of the associates in excess of the Group's
interest in those associates are not recognised.
Any excess of the cost of acquisition over the Group's share of the fair values
of the identifiable net assets of the associate at the date of acquisition is
recognised as goodwill. Any deficiency of the cost of acquisition below the
Group's share of the fair values of the identifiable net assets of the associate
at the date of acquisition (i.e. discount on acquisition) is credited in profit
or loss in the period of acquisition.
Where a Group company transacts with an associate of the Group, profits and
losses are eliminated to the extent of the Group's interest in the relevant
associate.
Exceptional items and change of presentation
In the current year, the Group amended the format of the income statement in
order to improve the information provided to the users of the financial
statements. As permitted by IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements, the
Group has elected to classify certain items as exceptional and present them
separately on the face of the Income Statement. Exceptional items are classified
as those which management have identified and disclosed as material one-off or
unusual items and which are not considered to be part of the core operations of
the Group. In addition, the Group has separately disclosed intangible asset
amortisation that arises on business combinations, which is added back to arrive
at underlying performance. Management believes this gives a useful additional
measure of profit and earnings and the Group focuses on underlying performance
in order to compare performance year on year.
3. Business and geographical segments
For management purposes, the Group is organised into two operating divisions -
Regional businesses and Global businesses. These divisions are the basis on
which the Group reports its primary segment information.
Principal activities are as follows
Regional businesses provide services which are primarily driven by customer
operating expenditure. Customer requirements are often for a short period of
time, and delivery is made through, and supported by, the Group's locally
established infrastructure.
Global businesses provide products and services which are primarily driven by
customer capital expenditure. These products and services, which are often based
upon bespoke engineering or technology based solutions, are delivered remotely
over a longer term period of time and are typically for offshore projects.
Segment information about these businesses is presented below:
Regional Global Total Regional Global Total
businesses businesses 2007 businesses businesses 2006
2007 2007 £'000 2006 2006 £'000
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Continuing
operations
Segment
revenue
External
revenue 321,944 196,876 518,820 169,482 131,245 300,727
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Segment
result
Underlying
gross profit (a)48,983 42,039 91,022 19,631 26,580 46,211
Intangible
asset
amortisation -
business
combinations (5,129) (604) (5,733) (262) (473) (735)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Segment
gross
profit 43,854 41,435 85,289 19,369 26,107 45,476
Unallocated
corporate
expenses (18,480) (11,360)
________ ________
Operating
profit 66,809 34,116
________ ________
In the prior year, joint ventures, which are accounted for under the equity
method, are all attributable to the Global businesses segment.
a Underlying gross profit is before exceptional items and intangible asset
amortisation that arises on business combinations. Exceptional items are
classified as those which management has identified and disclosed as
material one-off or unusual items. In the prior year, exceptional items
comprise gains on disposal of businesses.
Regional Global Unallocated Total Regional Global Unallocated Total
businesses businesses 2007 2007 businesses businesses 2006 2006
2007 2007 £'000 £'000 2006 2006 £'000 £'000
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Other information
Non-current
asset
additions 323,599 107,924 5,572 437,095 20,032 35,497 2,655 58,184
Depreciation
and
amortisation 23,751 20,225 2,248 46,224 8,225 20,201 3,488 31,914
Impairment
losses 498 - - 498 718 - - 718
Balance
sheet
Assets
Segment
asset 488,707 170,770 50,040 709,517 137,600 98,260 56,116 291,976
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Total assets 488,707 170,770 50,040 709,517 137,600 98,260 56,116 291,976
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Liabilities
Segment
liabilities (59,853) (31,052) (309,227) (400,132) (46,559) (31,613) (104,254) (182,426)
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Total net
assets 428,854 139,718 (259,187) 309,385 91,041 66,647 (48,138) 109,550
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
Unallocated segment assets and liabilities primarily comprise the Group's cash,
borrowing facilities, corporation tax liabilities and deferred tax assets and
liabilities.
Geographical segments
The Group's operations are analysed between Europe and FSU (a), West Africa,
North Africa Middle East, Asia (b), North America (Land), North America (GOM)(c)
and Latin America. The following table provides an analysis of the Group's sales
by geographical market:
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Europe and FSU (a) 189,024 130,792
West Africa 80,629 45,064
North Africa and Middle East 46,593 17,206
Asia (b) 72,583 59,179
North America - Land 62,081 24,009
North America - GOM (c) 34,809 22,945
Latin America 33,101 1,532
________ ________
518,820 300,727
________ ________
The following is an analysis of the carrying amount of segment assets, and
additions to goodwill, property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets,
analysed by the geographical area in which the assets are located:
Carrying value of assets Non-current asset additions
2007 2006 2007 2006
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Europe and FSU (a) 173,008 95,259 77,809 9,586
West Africa 98,741 40,267 62,816 13,630
North Africa and
Middle East 62,414 15,369 56,234 5,202
Asia (b) 54,500 33,775 29,893 9,291
North America - Land 135,723 25,213 91,972 8,777
North America - GOM (c) 85,823 24,360 74,270 8,480
Latin America 49,268 1,617 42,180 563
Unallocated 50,040 56,116 1,921 2,655
________ ________ ________ ________
709,517 291,976 437,095 58,184
________ ________ ________ ________
a Former Soviet Union.
b Sakhalin Island is included within Asia for segmental reporting purposes
c Gulf of Mexico
4. Tax
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Current tax:
UK corporation tax 2,463 1,638
Foreign tax 20,837 11,821
________ ________
23,300 13,459
________ ________
Deferred tax:
Current year (1,376) (1,739)
Prior year (1,078) (516)
________ ________
(2,454) (2,255)
________ ________
20,846 11,204
________ ________
UK corporation tax is calculated at 30% (2006: 30%) of the estimated assessable
profit for the year. Taxation for other jurisdictions is calculated at the rates
prevailing in the respective jurisdictions.
The charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit per the income statement
as follows:
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Profit before tax 55,105 29,562
Less: Post tax profit from associates (102) -
________ ________
55,003 29,562
Tax at the UK corporation tax rate of 30% (2006: 30%) 16,501 8,869
Tax effect of expenses that are not deductible in
determining taxable profit 995 728
Tax effect of utilisation of tax losses not previously
recognised - (1,677)
Tax effect of non-utilisation of tax losses 3,201 2,274
Effect of different tax rates of subsidiaries operating
in other jurisdictions 809 1,341
Adjustments to prior year provisions (1,018) (290)
Other 358 (41)
________ ________
Tax expense for the year 20,846 11,204
________ ________
5. Dividends
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in
the year:
Final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2006 of 7.1p
per share (31 March 2005: 7.1p per share) 5,192 5,182
Interim dividend for the year ended 31 March 2007 of
3.8p per share (31 March 2006: 3.8p per share) 4,163 2,774
________ ________
9,355 7,956
________ ________
Proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2007
of 8.0p per share (31 March 2006: 7.1p per share) 8,766 5,203
________ ________
The proposed final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual
General Meeting and has not been included as a liability in these financial
statements.
6. Earnings per share
The calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per share is based on the following data:
2007 2006
£'000 £'000
Earnings
Profit for the year 34,259 28,460
Less minority interest (132) (49)
________ ________
Earnings attributable to equity holders of the
parent - continuing and discontinued (a) 34,127 28,411
Less post tax gain from disposal of joint venture - (9,661)
Less post tax profit from discontinued joint
venture operations - (441)
________ ________
Earnings for the purpose of basic earnings per
share - continuing (b) 34,127 18,309
Adjustments
Post tax profit from discontinued joint venture
operations - 441
________ ________
Earnings for the purpose of headline earnings per
share (c) 34,127 18,750
Amortisation of intangible assets arising from
acquisitions 5,733 735
Less tax on the above (1,985) (226)
________ ________
Earnings for the purpose of underlying earning per
share (d) 37,875 19,259
________ ________
2007 2006
Number Number
Number of shares
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the
purposes of basic earnings per share 100,226,082 77,480,885
Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares:
Share options 1,442,331 1,252,641
_________ _________
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the
purposes of diluted earnings per share 101,668,413 78,733,526
_________ _________
Earnings per share
From continuing and discontinued operations (a)
Basic 34.1p 36.6p
________ ________
Diluted 33.6p 36.1p
________ ________
From continuing operations (b)
Basic 34.1p 23.6p
________ ________
Diluted 33.6p 23.3p
________ ________
From discontinued operations
Basic - 13.0p
________ ________
Diluted - 12.8p
________ ________
Headline (c)
Basic 34.1p 24.2p
________ ________
Diluted 33.6p 23.8p
________ ________
Underlying (d)
Basic 37.8p 24.9p
________ ________
Diluted 37.3p 24.5p
________ ________
The denominator for the purposes of calculating both basic and diluted earnings
per share has been adjusted to reflect the bonus element of the rights issue.
Underlying earnings per share is based on continuing and discontinued operations
and is before exceptional items and intangible asset amortisation that arises on
business combinations. Exceptional items are classified as those which
management has identified and disclosed as material one-off or unusual items.
Headline earnings per share is based on continuing and discontinued operations
and is before exceptional items only. Previously published headline earnings per
share were on a continuing basis.
7. Statement of changes in equity
Share Share Merger Other Hedging Translation Own Equity Retained Minority
capital premium reserve Reserve reserve reserve shares reserve earnings interest Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
At 1 April
2005 6,646 929 - - - (1,963) (407) 417 47,535 33 53,190
Adoption of
IAS 32 and
39 - - - - 826 - - - (279) - 547
Recognised
income
and expense - - - - (1,071) 5,307 - - 33,364 49 37,649
Dividends
paid - - - - - - - - (7,956) - (7,956)
Issue of
share
capital for
cash 665 (947) 25,232 - - - - - - - 24,950
Issue of
share
capital on
exercise of
share
options 17 588 - - - - - - - - 605
Share-based
payments - - - - - - - 615 - - 615
Minority
interest
on
acquisition - - - - - - - - - 33 33
Acquisition
of
minority
interest - - - - - - - - - (83) (83)
Transfers - - (25,232) - - - 55 - 25,177 - -
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
At 1 April
2006 7,328 570 - - (245) 3,344 (352) 1,032 97,841 32 109,550
Recognised
income
and expense - - - - (3,318) (17,275) - - 35,588 132 15,127
Dividend
paid - - - - - - - - (9,355) - (9,355)
Issue of
share
capital for
cash 2,616 - 124,975 - - - - - - - 127,591
Issue of
share
capital on
acquisition
of
subsidiary 916 - - 60,677 - - - - - - 61,593
Issue of
share
capital on
exercise of
share
options 98 3,226 - - - - - - - - 3,324
Share-based
payments - - - - - - - 910 629 - 1,539
Minority
interest
on
acquisition - - - - - - - - - 16 16
Transfers - - (124,975) - - - 352 (398) 125,021 - -
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
At 31 March
2007 10,958 3,796 - 60,677 (3,563) (13,931) - 1,544 249,724 180 309,385
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
8. Disposal of subsidiary
On 28 February 2007 the Group disposed of its interest in Expro Group Canada Inc
to Enseco Energy Services Corporation. The net assets of Expro Group Canada Inc
at the date of disposal were as follows:
28 February
2007
£'000
Intangible assets 197
Property, plant and equipment 1,057
Inventories 441
Trade and other receivables 1,134
Bank balances and cash 69
Current tax liability (29)
Trade and other payables (348)
Attributable goodwill 1,416
________
3,937
________
Proceeds 3,711
Net assets on disposal (3,937)
Recycled foreign exchange 344
Costs of disposal (118)
________
Gain/(loss) on disposal -
________
Satisfied by:
Cash consideration 1,805
Deferred consideration 609
Unsecured convertible debenture 1,297
________
3,711
________
Net cash inflow arising on disposal:
Cash consideration 1,805
Cash and cash equivalents disposed of (69)
Directly attributable costs (paid) (18)
________
1,718
________
The disposal of Expro's Canadian Wireline and TCP business did not represent a
discontinued operation as Expro continues to operate within Canada, including
its downhole tractor services and Excape completion services, as well as
supplying Wireline and TCP services across the globe.
The unsecured convertible debenture has been recorded at fair value.
9. Acquisition of subsidiary
The Group acquired Power Well Services "PWS" on 3 July 2006. PWS is a leading
supplier of well testing and other flow management products and services to the
global oil and gas industry. The acquisition comprised a 100% interest in Power
Well Services Inc (registered in the USA) and a 100% interest in Power Well
Services Holding LP (registered in the Cayman Islands), and their respective
subsidiaries. This transaction has been accounted for by the purchase method of
accounting.
All assets and liabilities were recognised at their respective fair values. The
residual excess over net assets acquired is recognised as goodwill in the
financial statements.
Provisional Adjustment to
Provisional fair value reflect Provisional
book value adjustments US GAAP to IFRS fair value
£'000 £'000 £'000
Intangible
assets 15,875 86,142 2,407 104,424
Property,
plant and
equipment 100,547 (2,308) (2,407) 95,832
Inventories 13,858 (121) - 13,737
Trade and
other
receivables 54,964 (2,680) - 52,284
Cash 6,540 - - 6,540
Bank overdraft (2,703) - - (2,703)
Trade and
other payables (25,568) (831) - (26,399)
Current tax
liabilities (10,531) - - (10,531)
Finance leases (381) - - (381)
Bank loans (134,974) - - (134,974)
Retirement
benefit
obligation (126) - (774) (900)
Deferred tax
liabilities (2,099) (30,148) 252 (31,995)
Minority
interest (17) - - (17)
________ ________ ________ ________
15,385 50,054 (522) 64,917
Goodwill 175,513
________
Total
consideration 240,430
________
Satisfied by:
Cash 168,757
Shares 61,593
Directly
attributable
costs 10,080
________
240,430
________
Net cash outflow
arising on
acquisition:
Cash
consideration 168,757
Directly
attributable
costs 10,080
Cash acquired
less bank
overdraft (3,837)
________
175,000
________
The values set out above are provisional pending finalisation of the fair values
attributable, which will be completed by 2 July 2007. Shares issued were valued
at market price at the date of acquisition.
The goodwill arises through the strengthening of the Group's geographical
footprint, product pull-through opportunities with new clients and the value of
the acquired workforce.
The revenue and operating profit of PWS for the year has not been disclosed as
integration of the business has made this impracticable.
If the acquisition had been completed on 1 April 2006, total Group revenue for
the year would have been £561.8m, and operating profit for the year would have
been £70.4m, after deducting intangible asset amortisation arising on
consolidation of £6.9m.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange