Final Results

RNS Number : 1261X

Sage Group PLC

01 December 2010

 



Wednesday 1 December 2010                                                                                                           

The Sage Group plc unaudited results for the year ended 30 September 2010 

 

GOOD GROWTH MOMENTUM FOR SAGE

Results at a glance	STATUTORY			UNDERLYING*
	2010	2009	Change	2010	2009	Change
Revenue -  Organic# -  Headline	n/a £1,435.0m	n/a £1,439.3m	0%	£1,404.5m £1,435.0m	£1,401.0m £1,450.6m	0% -1%
EBITA† -  Including  FY09 restructuring costs -  Excluding FY09 restructuring costs	n/a n/a	n/a n/a		£365.8m £365.8m	£324.3m £350.4m	+13% +4%
Pre-tax profit -  Including  FY09 restructuring costs -  Excluding FY09 restructuring costs	£319.9m n/a	£267.4m n/a	+20%	£355.7m £355.7m	£311.1m £337.2m	+14% +5%
Earnings per share -  Including  FY09 restructuring costs -  Excluding FY09 restructuring costs	17.29p n/a	14.46p n/a	+20%	19.22p 19.22p	16.82p 18.23p	+14% +5%

 

Financial highlights

§ Underlying pre-tax profit increased by 14%* to £355.7m (2009: £311.1m*), and by 5%* excluding FY09 restructuring costs

§ EBITA^†margin increased to 25% (2009: 24%* excluding FY09 restructuring costs) reflecting our focus on operational efficiency, whilst continuing to invest in R&D and customer support

§ Underlying earnings per share increased by 14%* to 19.22p (2009: 16.82p*), and by 5%* excluding FY09 restructuring costs

§ Proposed final dividend increased 6% to 5.22p per share (2009: 4.93p per share), giving a proposed total dividend for the year of 7.80p per share (2009: 7.43p per share), an increase of 5% on 2009 and covered 2.2 times by profits

§ Strong operating cash flow of £428.7m (2009: £357.6m), representing 117% of EBITA^†, with net debt reducing to £219.8m at 30 September 2010 (30 September 2009: £439.4m)

 

Operational highlights

§ Good growth momentum in the business:

-    3%* organic revenue growth in H2 (2%* organic contraction in H1)

-    Back to growth in software and software-related services revenue, with 2%* organic growth in H2 (8%* organic contraction in H1)

-    Sage's products and services attractive to increasing number of new customers, with 252,000 customers added in the year (2009: 245,000)

-    Diversified revenue base, with UK representing less than 20% of sales, which helps manage risk and capture growth opportunities

§ Subscription revenues for the year grew by 2%* organically, with 3%* organic growth in H2 (1%* organic growth in H1), and support contract renewal rates maintained at 81%

§ North American EBITA^† margin increased to 22% (2009: 20%* excluding FY09 restructuring costs)

§ Continued progress in delivering web products to our customer base

§ New organisation structure announced today to drive performance of business

Guy Berruyer, who became Chief Executive on 1 October 2010, commented: "These are good results which demonstrate our financial and operational strengths. I am particularly pleased that we have seen a return to organic revenue growth in the second half of the financial year.

Our commitment to high quality customer service and our culture of innovation means our products and services are well positioned in the market. While the economic outlook remains uncertain, we are seeing some signs of improving markets for our customers, although this varies by geography. Together, these factors have contributed to the revenue momentum we have seen in the second half of the year.

* Underlying figures neutralise the impact of foreign exchange movements and exclude amortisation of acquired intangible assets.  Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results. 

^† EBITA is defined as earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of acquired intangible assets.   

^#Organic figures exclude the contributions of current and prior year acquisitions, disposals and non-core products.

My focus is on improving organic revenue growth, particularly in North America, in driving our web strategy, and in growing our margin in the medium term whilst continuing to invest in higher growth initiatives such as payment processing and Sage ERP X3. The new organisation structure announced today will enable us to capitalise fully on the many growth opportunities we have, and we look forward with cautious optimism, whilst managing our costs prudently in these uncertain times."

Enquiries:

The Sage Group plc          [phone]	Tulchan Communications                [phone]
Guy Berruyer, Chief Executive	David Shriver
Paul Harrison, Group Finance Director	Lucy Legh
Andrew Griffith, Investor Relations

An analyst presentation will be held at 8.30am today at Deutsche Bank, Winchester House, 1 Great Winchester Street, London EC2N 2DB.  A live webcast of the presentation will be hosted on www.investors.sage.com, dial-in number [phone], pin code: 153512#.  A replay of the call will also be available for two weeks after the event: Tel: [phone], pin code: 375111#.

 

Overview of the year

We are pleased to report that the Group returned to organic revenue growth in the second half of the year, with 3%* organic revenue growth in the second half offsetting a contraction of 2%* in the first half, leaving us flat* for the year (year ended 30 September 2009: 5%* contraction).

For the year as a whole, we attracted 252,000 first time customers to Sage. Our customers continued to renew maintenance and support contracts at historical rates, reflecting the high quality of our maintenance and support.

Further benefits from cost reductions achieved in 2009 were realised in the year, with an increase in the EBITA^†margin to 25% from 24%* (excluding FY09 restructuring costs). At the same time as increasing margins, we have continued to invest in key areas of the business, for example preparing our products for the web, and building an international team to support the sale of Sage ERP X3 across Sage.

Key metrics

We saw an improving market for software and software-related services over the year with revenue contracting by 4%* organically compared to a 16%* contraction for the year ended 30 September 2009.  252,000 new customers purchased software solutions in the year, demonstrating the value that our products and services offer to SMEs. Organic subscription revenues grew by 2%* (year ended 30 September 2009: 2%*) with good demand for customer support.

Cash generated from operations represented 117% of EBITA^† reflecting the continued strong cash generation in the business, and underlying EPS grew by 14%* to 19.22p. Excluding prior year restructuring costs, underlying EPS grew by 5%*.

Support contract renewals, a key measure of the underlying performance of our business model, were maintained at 81% (2009: 81%) in line with the long-term average renewal rates. Premium support continues to resonate with our customers, with premium contracts making up 68% of maintenance and support contracts (2009: 67%).

 

Our customers

In the same way that SMEs entered the recession later than larger businesses, they have lagged larger businesses in seeing confidence return to their markets. We are seeing signs of more optimism from SMEs, although this has to be balanced with lack of visibility over the economic recovery. SMEs are prepared to invest in business management products and services where they see real business benefits and we are pleased to report growth in software and software-related services revenues of 2%* in the second half of the year. This is the first period of growth in software and software-related services since the second half of 2007.

* Underlying figures neutralise the impact of foreign exchange movements and exclude amortisation of acquired intangible assets.  Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results. 

^† EBITA is defined as earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of acquired intangible assets.        

Our business partner channel remains highly relevant to SMEs, particularly in the mid-market, bringing their deep domain knowledge of SMEs' business processes to ensure our solutions are implemented and, if appropriate, customised in the most effective way. We have seen the trend of partner consolidation continue, and we have focussed our resources and sales leads on high quality partners who are able to win new business in a competitive market. As well as Sage developing new and adapting existing products and services for the web, our partners also have adapted to bring the benefits of the web to customers and we consider our business partner channel will remain a key asset in the future.

 

The web

SMEs are increasingly looking at the business benefits of using the web in running their businesses. As a trusted partner to SMEs, through, for example 1.8m maintenance and support contracts, we are well placed to deliver those benefits to SMEs. Our approach to the web reflects our need to cater for our large installed base of customers, as well as our desire to attract new customers to Sage. We therefore have two strands to our web strategy. The first is to introduce web-based connected services into our existing products. The second is to release online business solutions (including SaaS) which will appeal particularly to new customers. In addition to this strategy, the web is becoming an intrinsic part of all our products with, for example, auto updates and product usage feedback mechanisms increasingly being utilised within our standard products.

Connected services

Sage now offers a number of web-based services which extend the reach of our on-premise applications into the cloud. These are grouped within the categories of data services, mobile and remote access, e-Commerce, employee services, financial services, customer management (including CRM), and payment processing. Connected services offer the potential to increase average revenue per customer and average life of a customer due to the deepening of the customer's relationship with Sage.

A significant amount of R&D resource across the Group has been dedicated to the integration of products and allowing data to transfer seamlessly between connected services and applications. One example is Sage Exchange, a North American payment platform facilitating the exchange of payment data to and from business software and related applications. Whilst this was only launched in May 2010, it has been very well received by customers and industry analysts and Sage now has market leading functionality in this area.

Online business solutions (including SaaS)

Across our markets we see demand for SaaS being led by small and micro businesses who have relatively simple needs and, particularly for start-ups, have no existing on-premise infrastructure. Our SaaS launches are targeted at that segment of the market, with several products launched (such as Contaonline in Spain, My Business Online in South Africa and Billing Boss in North America), and a number of other releases planned in the future. Our SaaS offers include products targeting the small business payroll market, such as einfachLohn in Germany and Ciel Paye in France.

In the mid-market, our products can be hosted by Sage or by business partners and offered as a service. For example, Sage Logic Class in Spain now has over 200 mid-market customers hosted by Sage, and SalesLogix Cloud edition was launched in May 2010 to address this market. As part of this, the rental model for consuming software is increasingly being offered across our mid-market products.

In addition to being a connected service, our payment processing products may also be utilised by customers on a stand-alone online basis.

 

Board and management changes

On 1 October 2010 Guy Berruyer took over as CEO from Paul Walker, who had been CEO for sixteen years.

In addition, as separately announced today, we are making the following changes to Sage's Executive Committee. All changes are effective as of 1 January 2011 unless otherwise stated.

-   Sue Swenson, President and CEO of Sage North America since March 2008, has decided to retire and will leave the business in mid 2011

-   Pascal Houillon, currently CEO of Sage France, will succeed Sue Swenson upon her retirement, at which time he will also join Sage's Executive Committee

-   Paul Stobart, Executive Director, and currently CEO of Sage UK and Ireland, will become CEO of Sage Northern Europe (encompassing UK, Ireland, Germany, Poland and Switzerland)

-   Álvaro Ramírez, currently CEO of Sage Spain, will become CEO of Sage Southern Europe (encompassing France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium), and will join Sage's Executive Committee

-   Ivan Epstein, currently CEO for Africa and Australia, will also assume responsibility for the Middle East and Asian regions

-   David Clayton, Executive Director, and currently Strategy and M&A Director, will become Director of Strategy and Corporate Development.  David will spearhead the strategic development of new businesses, particularly in relation to the web, and will be responsible for the expansion of Sage Pay into Europe

-   Paul Harrison's role as Executive Director and Group Finance Director will be expanded to encompass M&A responsibilities previously held by David Clayton

We thank Sue for the significant contribution she has made to Sage. Against a difficult economic backdrop, she has consolidated the North American business after an intense period of acquisition, driven a significant improvement in margin and developed our connected services strategy in the region.  She leaves the business on a firm footing for future growth, as demonstrated in our results for this year.  We wish her well for a happy retirement.

We are delighted that Pascal has agreed to lead the North American business after Sue.  Under his leadership, Sage has grown rapidly to become a major force in France and the second largest business in the Group. Pascal is a great talent with an in-depth understanding of the small, mid-market and vertical sectors, an eye for innovation and the operational skills and vision to drive Sage North America to the next level of growth.

Concerning David Clayton's expanded corporate development role, as Sage looks to increase its share of revenues from connected services and online business solutions, there will be a stronger focus on developing web based businesses that extend over multiple countries and are complementary to Sage's core accountancy and ERP business. These businesses are likely to operate under different business models to Sage's traditional business. They will therefore be ring-fenced, incubated and supervised centrally as they grow.

This structure leverages the experience of our current executives and also brings through a new generation of leaders.  The new team better reflects the international and entrepreneurial nature of the business and exploits our operational expertise.  It will enable us to collaborate better, to drive innovation and to maximise the opportunities we have to deliver outstanding software and services to our customers and partners.

Acquisitions

During the year we completed the acquisition of Netcash (Pty) Ltd, a business providing payment processing services in South Africa, for £8.5m consideration. With our substantial and growing customer base in South Africa, the acquisition offers Sage an attractive opportunity to extend integrated and secure transaction processing services to those customers.  

We continue to evaluate acquisitions as part of our strategy. Acquisition opportunities lie in both existing and new geographical markets.  They also lie in markets such as the provision of accounting and payroll software to SMEs and in new markets such as the provision of web-related products and services. We continue to apply rigorous discipline to the evaluation of these opportunities, with appraisal models clearly linked to shareholder value.

 

Regional review

Throughout the regional review, growth trends are stated on a currency neutral basis with prior year results retranslated at current year exchange rates.  This is done to facilitate the comparison of results.  A reconciliation of underlying headline revenue to organic revenue is shown in the table in note 1 on page 13.

Regional analysis

						UK			Mainland Europe		North America	Rest of World	Group underlying*	Foreign exchange	Amortisation of intangible assets	Group statutory
Revenue
FY10			£m				248.1		511.4		549.9	125.6	1,435.0			1,435.0
FY09			£m				242.0		516.6		575.8	116.2	1,450.6	(11.3)		1,439.3
Change			%				+3%		-1%		-4%	+8%	-1%			0%
EBITA†/Operating profit
FY10					£m		88.9		123.5		121.6	31.8	365.8		(35.8)	330.0
FY09				£m			84.2		106.5		106.0	27.6	324.3	(3.6)	(40.1)	280.6
Change				%			+6%		+16%		+15%	+15%	+13%			+18%

UK

Total and organic UK (including Ireland) revenues grew by 3%* to £248.1m (2009: £242.0m*), with organic growth of 5%* in the second half of the year. Organic subscription revenues grew at 6%* (2009: 5%*), while organic software and software-related services revenues contracted by 5%* (2009: 19%* contraction). In the second half of the year, organic software and software-related services revenues grew by 1%*, against a contraction of 11%* for the first half of the year.

Sage 50 revenue grew by 3%* with a positive reaction to the 2010 product release, and strong renewals of support contracts. The product now includes a number of connected services including payments functionality. Sage Pay delivered continued strong growth and products and services for accountants grew by 6%* with continued good demand for the premium Priority Link service. Our HR, payroll, and construction vertical businesses continued to experience subdued customer demand, and Sage Ireland (reported within the UK region) continued to be severely impacted by the Irish economic downturn.

The EBITA^† margin was 36% (2009: 35%*). The prior year margin excluding restructuring charges was 38%*.

 

Mainland Europe 

Total revenues in Mainland Europe declined by 1%* to £511.4m (2009: £516.6m*). Organic revenue grew 2%* (2009: 3%* contraction), with organic growth of 5%* in the second half of the year. Subscription revenues continued to grow organically at 3%* (2009: 5%*), while software and software-related services revenues contracted organically by 1%* (2009: 13%* contraction).  In the second half of the year, organic software and software-related services revenues grew by 5%*, against a contraction of 6%* for the first half of the year.

Revenues in our French business grew 3%* organically in the year with a good performance in our accountants and ERP markets, where changes in payment regulations and a strong product set helped to generate good increases in new licences. The market for our entry-level product and our auto dealer vertical business however remained challenging in France. German revenues grew 2%* organically, with a good upgrade performance as well as strong growth from Sage ERP X3 and HR and Payroll products, including our SaaS offer einfachLohn. Spanish revenues declined 4%* in the year but grew 3%* in the second half with strong subscription revenues from the continued focus on premium support.  Our smaller businesses in Mainland Europe, including Switzerland, Portugal and Poland grew by 6%* organically, with both Switzerland and Portugal benefitting from legislative change.

The EBITA^† margin was 24% (2009: 21%*). The prior year margin excluding restructuring charges was 22%*.

North America

Total revenues in North America contracted 4%* to £549.9m (2009: £575.8m*). Organic revenues contracted 3%* (2009: 8%* contraction) with an organic contraction of 2%* in the second half of the year. Organic subscription revenues declined 2%* (2009: 2%* contraction), while organic software and software-related services revenues fell 9%* (2009: 23%* contraction). In the second half of the year, organic software and software-related services revenues contracted by 4%*, against a contraction of 13%* for the first half of the year.

* Underlying figures neutralise the impact of foreign exchange movements and exclude amortisation of acquired intangible assets.  Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results. 

^† EBITA is defined as earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of acquired intangible assets.        

The business environment for SMEs in North America remains challenging, although we did see some improvement in confidence over the year. Within our North American business we have seen progress across a range of initiatives such as premium support and renewals, cross-sell of payments into our ERP base, the launch of several connected solutions, continued increase in our customer satisfaction and brand awareness scores, and the reinvigoration of our channel partners.  

Sage Business Solutions, our largest US division, declined organically by 3%* in the year, and by 1%* in the second half of the year. However, we did see good growth in the second half of the year in certain key products such as Simply, ACCPAC and Sage ERP X3. Our mid-market ERP products are well positioned in the market, with a number of compelling releases planned for 2011. Whilst the US entry-level market remains cautious, we have had success in building our position in the Accountants channel, and Peachtree Business Care premium support contracts now account for almost 50% of Peachtree subscription revenue. Our CRM and construction vertical businesses continued to experience relatively weaker demand for new software, whilst our not for profit business grew strongly. We have launched a number of connected services targeting these markets, for example e-marketing (linked to our CRM solutions) and e-philanthropy for non-profit organisations, and these are showing early positive signs.

Sage Payment Solutions Division saw growth in the number of merchants and spend volumes, but a continued competitive pricing environment. Revenues were therefore flat* in the year. We have diversified our revenue mix by targeting mid-market businesses, which have a longer average customer life than small businesses. With a flexible platform for integration into other Sage products, cross-sell revenues into the Sage base increased by over 70%* to £7.8m, and this remains a substantial future opportunity.

Sage Healthcare Division has continued to see growth in the Intergy product, and a contraction of the Medical Manager product giving an overall contraction of 5%* on an organic basis. We have made significant progress on our customer service, and we continue to see good customer wins for Intergy, although the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA") funding is not expected to have an effect until April 2011 onward.  To benefit from ARRA, users have to demonstrate meaningful use of Healthcare IT, so we were pleased that in October 2010 Intergy was certified for meeting the requirements for meaningful use. We have launched a new version of Medical Manager in the year which has been very well received by our customers. Our focus remains on serving our Medical Manager customers better, building our brand in the market and positioning Intergy to benefit from ARRA. Sage Healthcare Division's EBITA^† margin showed continued improvement to 20% (2009: 17%*).

The EBITA^† margin was 22% (2009: 18%*). The prior year margin excluding restructuring charges was 20%*.

Rest of World

Total revenues in Rest of World grew by 8%* to £125.6m (2009: £116.2m*). Organic revenue grew 7%* (2009: 1%*) with organic growth of 10%* in the second half of the year. Organic subscription revenues showed strong growth of 15%* (2009: 14%*), while organic software and software-related services revenues were flat* compared to prior year (2009: 8%* contraction) with continued softness in the Asian markets. In the second half of the year, organic software and software-related services revenues grew by 5%*, against a contraction of 4%* for the first half of the year.

South Africa showed organic revenue growth of 11%*, with both accounting and payroll solutions performing well although the mid-market remains slow.  Australia grew 4%* organically, with a strong performance by Handisoft, our business providing tax and practice management software to accountants. Our smaller Asian businesses declined 3%*.

The EBITA^† margin was 25% (2009: 24%*). There were no restructuring charges in the region in 2009.

Financial review

Revenues

Revenues were flat compared to prior year at £1,435.0m (2009: £1,439.3m).  Organic revenue, on a constant currency basis, was also flat compared to prior year. Organic revenue excludes contributions of current and prior year acquisitions and disposals (0% of current year revenues) and non-core products (2% of current year revenues). 

On a constant currency basis, subscription revenue grew 1%* to £953.5m (2009: £941.1m*). Total software and software-related services revenues contracted 5%* to £481.5m (2009: £509.5m*). 

* Underlying figures neutralise the impact of foreign exchange movements and exclude amortisation of acquired intangible assets.  Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results. 

^† EBITA is defined as earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of acquired intangible assets.        

Profitability

The Group's EBITA^† margin increased to 25% (2009: 22%*) reflecting our efficiency drive and tight cost control, particularly in North America. Excluding restructuring charges of £26.1m*, the prior year EBITA^†margin was 24%*. 

The Group's net finance expenses decreased significantly to £10.1m (2009: £13.2m) with a reduction in the level of net debt and interest rates compared to 2009. 

Statutory profit before taxation increased 20% to £319.9m (2009: £267.4m).  Statutory earnings per share increased 20% to 17.29p (2009: 14.46p).  On a constant currency basis, underlying pre-tax profit increased 14%* to £355.7m (2009: £311.1m*), and underlying earnings per share increased 14%* to 19.22p (2009: 16.82p*).  A reconciliation of underlying pre-tax profit to statutory profit before tax is shown in the table in note 2 on page 15.

The Group's effective tax rate for the year is 29% (2009: 29%).

Cash flow

The Group remains highly cash generative with operating cash flow of £428.7m, representing 117% of EBITA^†.

At 30 September 2010, net debt was £219.8m (30 September 2009: £439.4m). Over the year, strong cash generation reduced net debt by £211.3m on a currency neutral basis.

We refinanced our bank facilities in the year, firstly by raising $300.0m of private placement loan notes in March 2010. The notes mature $200.0m in 2015, $50.0m in 2016 and $50.0m in 2017 and carry interest coupons of 4.39%, 4.78% and 5.15% respectively. Following completion of the private placement, we signed a new 5 year syndicated bank facility, denominated $271.0m and €214.0m (total £357.4m). The Group now has committed funding in place until 2015 to 2017.

Foreign exchange

Since 1 October 2009, rates for the Euro to Sterling showed a movement of 5% to €1.15 from €1.09 with an average rate of €1.15 for the year. Rates for the US Dollar showed a movement of 1% to US$1.58 from US$1.60, with an average rate of US$1.56 for the year.  It is Sage's policy to align the currency denominations of our debt with the cash flows arising from our trading activities in those same currencies to hedge our currency exposure.  We do not hedge pure translational exposure resulting from conversion for accounting purposes of overseas companies' results into Sterling. 

Dividend

We believe that our consistently strong cash flows, robust balance sheet and recurring revenue streams provide a sustainable basis for a progressive dividend policy, whilst ensuring that the Group can continue to maintain appropriate levels of organic and acquisition-led investment.

As a result, we are increasing the full year dividend by 5% to 7.80p per share (2009: 7.43p per share), with a proposed final dividend of 5.22p per share (2009: 4.93p per share). The proposed final dividend will be payable on 11 March 2011 to shareholders on the register at close of business on 11 February 2011.

Outlook

Our commitment to high quality customer service and our culture of innovation means our products and services are well positioned in the market. While the economic outlook remains uncertain, we are seeing some signs of improving markets for our customers, although this varies by geography. Together, these factors have contributed to the revenue momentum we have seen in the second half of the year.

Our focus is on improving organic revenue growth, particularly in North America, in driving our web strategy, and in growing our margin in the medium term whilst continuing to invest in higher growth initiatives such as payment processing and Sage ERP X3. The new organisation structure announced today will enable us to capitalise fully on the many growth opportunities we have, and we look forward with cautious optimism, whilst managing our costs prudently in these uncertain times.

* Underlying figures neutralise the impact of foreign exchange movements and exclude amortisation of acquired intangible assets.  Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results. 

^† EBITA is defined as earnings before interest, tax and amortisation of acquired intangible assets.        

Consolidated income statement

For the year ended 30 September 2010

	Note	Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Audited) £m
Revenue	1,2	1,435.0	1,439.3
Cost of sales		(103.5)	(108.8)
Gross profit		1,331.5	1,330.5
Selling and administrative expenses		(1,001.5)	(1,049.9)
Operating profit	1	330.0	280.6
Finance income		3.3	4.0
Finance costs		(13.4)	(17.2)
Finance costs - net		(10.1)	(13.2)
Profit before taxation	2	319.9	267.4
Income tax expense	3	(92.6)	(77.9)
Profit for the year - attributable to owners of the parent		227.3	189.5
EBITA†	1	365.8	320.7
Earnings per share (pence)
- Basic	5	17.29p	14.46p
- Diluted	5	17.23p	14.42p

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

For the year ended 30 September 2010

		Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Audited) £m
Profit for the year		227.3	189.5
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences		10.5	140.6
Actuarial loss on post employment benefit obligations		(0.3)	(0.3)
Cash flow hedges		(0.7)	(0.3)
Other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax		9.5	140.0
Total comprehensive income for the year - attributable to owners of the parent		236.8	329.5

 ^† EBITA measure (Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation) excludes the effects of:

•  Amortisation of acquired intangible assets; and

•  Net amortisation of software development expenditure.

Consolidated balance sheet

As at 30 September 2010

	Note	2010 (Unaudited) £m	2009 (Audited) £m
Non-current assets
Goodwill		2,031.1	2,030.8
Other intangible assets		179.1	216.0
Property, plant and equipment		149.6	144.5
Deferred income tax assets		10.4	7.5
		2,370.2	2,398.8
Current assets
Inventories		4.1	5.2
Trade and other receivables		276.3	275.1
Cash and cash equivalents (excluding bank overdrafts)	7	70.8	59.4
		351.2	339.7
Total assets		2,721.4	2,738.5
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables		(288.9)	(252.8)
Current income tax liabilities		(73.7)	(62.1)
Borrowings	7	(2.8)	(18.8)
Deferred consideration		(2.7)	(2.3)
Deferred income		(402.7)	(391.1)
		(770.8)	(727.1)
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings	7	(249.3)	(460.6)
Derivative financial instruments		(1.0)	(0.3)
Retirement benefit obligations		(11.3)	(11.8)
Deferred income tax liabilities		(39.6)	(41.2)
		(301.2)	(513.9)
Total liabilities		(1,072.0)	(1,241.0)
Net assets		1,649.4	1,497.5
Equity attributable to owners of the parent
Ordinary shares	6	13.2	13.1
Share premium	6	499.8	492.0
Other reserves		259.3	249.5
Retained earnings		877.1	742.9
Total equity		1,649.4	1,497.5

Consolidated statement of cash flows

For the year ended 30 September 2010

	Note	Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Audited) £m
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from continuing operations		428.7	357.6
Interest paid		(11.6)	(16.2)
Income tax paid		(75.6)	(55.9)
Net cash generated from operating activities		341.5	285.5
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired		(7.5)	(13.8)
Disposal of subsidiaries		7.4	12.0
Purchases of intangible assets		(7.1)	(10.3)
Purchases of property, plant and equipment		(20.9)	(19.5)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment		0.6	0.2
Interest received		3.3	4.0
Net cash used in investing activities		(24.2)	(27.4)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares		7.9	5.4
Purchase of treasury shares		(7.3)	-
Finance lease principal payments		(0.1)	(0.1)
Issue costs on loans		(4.4)	(0.7)
Repayments of borrowings		(324.4)	(323.9)
Proceeds from borrowings		126.2	129.5
Dividends paid to company's shareholders	4	(98.6)	(95.1)
Net cash used in financing activities		(300.7)	(284.9)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts (before exchange rate changes)	7	16.6	(26.8)
Effects of exchange rate changes	7	1.8	8.9
Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts		18.4	(17.9)
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at 1 October	7	52.2	70.1
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts at 30 September	7	70.6	52.2

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

For the year ended 30 September 2010

	Attributable to owners of the parent
(Unaudited)	Ordinary shares £m	Share premium £m	Other reserves £m	Retained earnings £m	Total equity £m
At 1 October 2009	13.1	492.0	249.5	742.9	1,497.5
Profit for the year	-	-	-	227.3	227.3
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences	-	-	10.5	-	10.5
Actuarial loss on post employment benefit obligations	-	-	-	(0.3)	(0.3)
Cash flow hedges	-	-	(0.7)	-	(0.7)
Total comprehensive income for the year ended 30 September 2010	-	-	9.8	227.0	236.8
Transactions with owners:
Employees share option scheme:
- Proceeds from shares issued	0.1	7.8	-	-	7.9
- Value of employee services	-	-	-	10.0	10.0
- Equity movement of deferred income tax	-	-	-	3.1	3.1
Purchase of treasury shares	-	-	-	(7.3)	(7.3)
Dividends	-	-	-	(98.6)	(98.6)
Total transactions with owners for the year ended 30 September 2010	0.1	7.8	-	(92.8)	(84.9)
At 30 September 2010	13.2	499.8	259.3	877.1	1,649.4
	Attributable to owners of the parent
(Unaudited)	Share capital £m	Share premium £m	Other reserves £m	Retained earnings £m	Total equity £m
At 1 October 2008	13.1	486.6	109.2	638.1	1,247.0
Profit for the year	-	-	-	189.5	189.5
Other comprehensive income:
Currency translation differences	-	-	140.6	-	140.6
Actuarial loss on post employment benefit obligations	-	-	-	(0.3)	(0.3)
Cash flow hedges	-	-	(0.3)	-	(0.3)
Total comprehensive income for the year ended 30 September 2009	-	-	140.3	189.2	329.5
Transactions with owners:
Employees share option scheme:
- Proceeds from shares issued	-	5.4	-	-	5.4
- Value of employee services	-	-	-	6.7	6.7
- Equity movement of deferred tax	-	-	-	4.0	4.0
Dividends	-	-	-	(95.1)	(95.1)
Total transactions with owners for the year ended 30 September 2009	-	5.4	-	(84.4)	(79.0)
At 30 September 2009	13.1	492.0	249.5	742.9	1,497.5

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

 Group accounting policies

a General information

The Sage Group plc ("the Company") and its subsidiaries (together "the Group") is one of the leading global suppliers of business management software and services to small and medium-sized enterprises. The Group operates in 24 countries worldwide in the UK & Ireland, Mainland Europe, North America, Southern Hemisphere and Asia.

These financial results do not comprise statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. Statutory accounts for the year ended 30 September 2009 were approved by the Board of directors on 17 December 2009 and delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The report of the auditors on those accounts was unqualified, did not contain an emphasis of matter paragraph and did not contain any statement under Section 498 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Company is a limited liability company incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its registered office is North Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 9AA.

The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

b Basis of preparation

The financial information for the year ended 30 September 2010 has been prepared in accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Services Authority. The consolidated financial report should be read in conjunction with the annual financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2009, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union.

c Accounting policies

Other than as described below, the accounting policies adopted are consistent with those of the annual financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2009, as described in those annual financial statements.

Adoption of new and revised International Financial Reporting Standards

The following standards, interpretations, and amendments to standards were effective during the year ended 30 September 2010 and have been adopted in this financial information.

-   IFRS 8, "Operating Segments" - The standard replaced IAS 14, "Segment Reporting", and aligns operating segments reported to those segments reported internally to senior management. The basis for the segments under IFRS 8 is set out in note 1 below. The standard does not change the recognition, measurement, or disclosure of transactions in the consolidated financial statements.

-   IAS 1 (Revised), "Presentation of Financial Statements" - The amendment requires "non-owner" changes in equity to be presented separately from "owner" changes in a statement of comprehensive income. It also requires that if there is retrospective restatement or reclassification of items in the financial statements that the opening balance sheet is also disclosed. This will mean that in such circumstances three balance sheets rather than two will be reported. Entities can also choose whether to present one performance statement (the statement of comprehensive income) or two performance statements (the income statement and statement of comprehensive income). The Group has chosen to present two performance statements. A further impact of the amendment is that certain primary statements have been renamed.

-   IFRS 2 (Amendment), "Share-based Payment", effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. The amendment to the standard limits vesting conditions to service conditions and performance conditions. The amendment also specifies that all cancellations, whether by the entity or by other parties, should receive the same accounting treatment, i.e. acceleration of the expense based on the grant date fair value. This amendment had no material impact on the Group's consolidated financial statements.

-   IFRS 3 (Revised), "Business Combinations" and consequential amendments to IAS 27, "Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements". The revisions require that all acquisition related costs are to be expensed to the income statement in the period incurred. There are a number of other implications:

§  Where the acquirer has a pre-existing equity interest in the entity acquired and increases its equity interest such that it achieves control, it must re-measure its previously-held equity interest to fair value as at the date of obtaining control and recognise any resulting gain or loss in the income statement.

§  Once control is achieved all other increases and decreases in ownership interest are treated as transactions among equity holders and reported directly within equity. Goodwill is not re-measured or adjusted.

There is no material impact of the adoption of this standard in this financial information.  The future financial effect of the adoption of this standard will be dependent on the circumstances surrounding the future transactions to which they will apply, that are at present unknown.

The following new standards, interpretations and amendments were issued but not yet mandatory for the Group and early adoption has not been applied. 

International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS")

-   IFRS 9, "Financial Instruments"

International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee ("IFRIC") interpretations

-   IFRIC 18, "Transfers of Assets from Customers"

-   IFRIC 19, "Extinguishing Financial Liabilities with Equity Instruments"

Amendments to existing standards

-   Amendment to IAS 24, "Related Party Disclosures"

-   Amendment to IFRS 7, "Financial Instruments: Disclosure"

-   Amendment to IFRIC 14, "Prepayments of a Minimum Funding Requirement"

-   Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2010

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

It is considered that the above standards, amendments and interpretations will not have a significant effect on the results or net assets of the Group but will increase the level of disclosure to be made in the financial statements.

All the IFRSs, IFRIC interpretations and amendments to existing standards are endorsed by the EU at the date of approval of this consolidated financial information with the exception of IFRS 9, the amendment to IFRS 7 and the Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2010.

1 Segment information

In accordance with IFRS 8, "Operating Segments", information for the Group's operating segments has been derived using the information used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker. The Group's Executive Committee has been identified as the Chief Operating Decision Maker as the committee is responsible for the allocation of resources to operating segments and assessing their performance. The profit measure used by the Executive Committee is Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation ("EBITA") which excludes the effects of amortisation of acquired intangible assets and the net amortisation of software development expenditure on a constant currency basis. Operating segments are reported in a manner which is consistent with the operating segments produced for internal management reporting. The operating segments have not changed as a result of implementing IFRS 8.

The Group is organised into four operating segments. The UK is the home country of the parent. The main operations in the principal territories are as follows:

-   UK & Ireland

-   Mainland Europe

-   North America

-   Rest of World

The Rest of World segment operations are principally based in South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, China and India. The revenue analysis in the table below is based on the location of the customer which is not materially different from the location where the order is received and where the assets are located.

Revenue by segment

		Year ended 30 September (Unaudited)
	2010				2009					Change %
	IFRS  statutory		Organic revenue adjustment1	Non-GAAP Organic	IFRS  statutory	Currency impact2	Underlying at constant currency	Organic revenue adjustment1	Non-GAAP Organic  constant currency	IFRS statutory	Underlying at constant currency	Non-GAAP Organic constant currency
Subscription revenue by segment
UK & Ireland	180.6		-	180.6	171.1	(0.1)	171.0	-	171.0	6%	6%	6%
Mainland Europe	295.4		(0.4)	295.0	292.7	(2.6)	290.1	(5.0)	285.1	1%	2%	3%
North America	415.9		(16.7)	399.2	428.3	(0.7)	427.6	(21.7)	405.9	-3%	-3%	-2%
Rest of World	61.6		(1.3)	60.3	44.7	7.7	52.4	-	52.4	38%	18%	15%
Subscription revenue	953.5		(18.4)	935.1	936.8	4.3	941.1	(26.7)	914.4	2%	1%	2%
Software and software-related services revenue by segment
UK & Ireland	67.5		-	67.5	71.1	(0.1)	71.0	-	71.0	-5%	-5%	-5%
Mainland Europe	216.0		(0.7)	215.3	227.8	(1.3)	226.5	(9.0)	217.5	-5%	-5%	-1%
North America	134.0		(11.4)	122.6	148.1	0.1	148.2	(13.9)	134.3	-10%	-10%	-9%
Rest of World	64.0		-	64.0	55.5	8.3	63.8	-	63.8	15%	0%	0%
Software and software-related services revenue	481.5		(12.1)	469.4	502.5	7.0	509.5	(22.9)	486.6	-4%	-5%	-4%
Total revenue by segment
UK & Ireland	248.1		-	248.1	242.2	(0.2)	242.0	-	242.0	2%	3%	3%
Mainland Europe	511.4		(1.1)	510.3	520.5	(3.9)	516.6	(14.0)	502.6	-2%	-1%	2%
North America	549.9		(28.1)	521.8	576.4	(0.6)	575.8	(35.6)	540.2	-5%	-4%	-3%
Rest of World	125.6		(1.3)	124.3	100.2	16.0	116.2	-	116.2	25%	8%	7%
Total revenue		1,435.0	(30.5)	1,404.5	1,439.3	11.3	1,450.6	(49.6)	1,401.0	0%	-1%	0%

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

1 Segment information (continued)

1 Organic revenue adjustment excludes the contributions of current and prior year acquisitions, disposals and non-core products.

2 Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results.

Profit by segment

	Year ended 30 September (Unaudited)
	2010			2009					Change %
	IFRS statutory operating profit	Adj1	Non-GAAP   EBITA	IFRS statutory operating profit	Adj1	Non-GAAP EBITA reported	Currency impact2	Non-GAAP EBITA  constant currency	IFRS statutory  operating profit	Non-GAAP EBITA reported	Non-GAAP EBITA constant currency
Profit by segment
UK & Ireland	84.4	4.5	88.9	79.7	4.6	84.3	(0.1)	84.2	6%	5%	6%
Mainland Europe	110.4	13.1	123.5	90.6	16.7	107.3	(0.8)	106.5	22%	15%	16%
North America	104.0	17.6	121.6	86.7	18.6	105.3	0.7	106.0	20%	15%	15%
Rest of World	31.2	0.6	31.8	23.6	0.2	23.8	3.8	27.6	32%	34%	15%
Total profit	330.0	35.8	365.8	280.6	40.1	320.7	3.6	324.3	18%	14%	13%

1 Adjustment includes the effects of amortisation of acquired intangible assets and the net amortisation of software development expenditure.

2 Foreign currency results for the prior year ended 30 September 2009 have been retranslated based on the average exchange rates for the year ended 30 September 2010 of $1.56/£1 and €1.15/£1 to facilitate the comparison of results.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP EBITA to IFRS statutory operating profit

		Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Unaudited) £m
Non-GAAP EBITA at constant exchange rates		365.8	324.3
Impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates		-	(3.6)
Non-GAAP EBITA reported		365.8	320.7
Net amortisation of software development expenditure		(0.4)	(0.6)
Amortisation of acquired intangible assets		(35.4)	(39.5)
IFRS statutory operating profit		330.0	280.6

Exceptional items

There were no exceptional restructuring costs in the year ended 30 September 2010 (year ended 30 September 2009: £26.4m included in selling and administrative expenses, or £26.1m on a constant currency basis).

 

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

2 Reconciliation to statutory revenue and profit before taxation

Reconciliation of revenue

	Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Unaudited) £m	Growth (Unaudited) %
Revenue on foreign currency exchange rate neutral basis	1,435.0	1,450.6	-1%
Impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates	-	(11.3)
IFRS statutory revenue	1,435.0	1,439.3	0%

Reconciliation of profit before taxation

	Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Unaudited) £m	Growth (Unaudited) %
Underlying pre-tax profit	355.7	311.1	+14%
Impact of movements in foreign currency exchange rates	-	(3.6)
	355.7	307.5	+16%
Net amortisation of software development expenditure	(0.4)	(0.6)
Amortisation of acquired intangible assets	(35.4)	(39.5)
Statutory profit before taxation	319.9	267.4	+20%

3 Income tax expense

Income tax for the year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) gives an effective rate of 29% (year ended 30 September 2009 (Audited): 29%). 

4 Dividends

	Year ended 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m	Year ended 30 September 2009 (Audited) £m
Final dividend paid for the year ended 30 September 2009 of 4.93p per share	64.7	-
(2009: final dividend paid for the year ended 30 September 2008 of 4.78p per share)	-	62.5
Interim dividend paid for the year ended 30 September 2010 of 2.58p per share	33.9	-
(2009: interim dividend paid for the year ended 30 September 2009 of 2.50p per share)	-	32.6
	98.6	95.1

In addition, the directors are proposing a final dividend in respect of the financial year ended 30 September 2010 of 5.22p per share which will absorb an estimated £68.8m of shareholders' funds. It will be paid on 11 March 2011 to shareholders who are on the register of members on 11 February 2011. These financial statements do not reflect this dividend payable.

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

 

5 Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity holders of the company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding those held in the employee share trust, which are treated as cancelled.

For diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue is adjusted to assume conversion of all dilutive potential ordinary shares. The Group has two classes of dilutive potential ordinary shares: those share options granted to employees where the exercise price is less than the average market price of the Company's ordinary shares during the year and the contingently issuable shares under the Group's long-term incentive plan.

At 30 September 2010, the performance criteria for the vesting of the awards under the incentive scheme had not been met and consequently the shares in question are excluded from the diluted EPS calculation.

Reconciliations of the earnings and weighted average number of shares used in the calculations are set out below:

Basic EPS

			2010 (Unaudited)			2009 (Audited)
	Earnings £m	Weighted average number of shares millions	Per share amount pence	Earnings £m	Weighted average number of shares millions	Per share amount pence
Basic EPS - Profit attributable to equity holders	227.3	1,314.9	17.29	189.5	1,310.6	14.46
Effect of dilutive securities
Options		4.5	(0.06)		3.7	(0.04)
Diluted EPS	227.3	1,319.4	17.23	189.5	1,314.3	14.42

Underlying EPS - Non GAAP measure

			2010 (Unaudited)			2009 (Audited)
	Earnings £m	Weighted  average number of shares millions	Per share amount pence	Earnings £m	Weighted average number of shares millions	Per share amount pence
Basic EPS - Profit attributable to equity holders	227.3	1,314.9	17.29	189.5	1,310.6	14.46
Non GAAP items:
Intangible asset amortisation excluding amortisation of computer software	35.8			40.1
Taxation	(10.4)			(11.6)
Net adjustments	25.4		1.93	28.5		2.17
Underlying basic EPS	252.7	1,314.9	19.22	218.0	1,310.6	16.63
Exchange adjustments
Exchange adjustments				3.6
Taxation				(1.1)
Net exchange adjustments				2.5		0.19
Underlying basic EPS (after exchange adjustments)	252.7	1,314.9	19.22	220.5	1,310.6	16.82
Effect of dilutive securities
Options		4.5	(0.06)		3.7	(0.04)
Underlying diluted EPS (after exchange adjustments)	252.7	1,319.4	19.16	220.5	1,314.3	16.78

 

Notes to financial information

For the year ended 30 September 2010

 

6 Share capital and premium

	Number of shares (Unaudited)	Ordinary shares (Unaudited) £m	Share premium (Unaudited) £m	Total (Unaudited) £m
At 1 October 2009	1,312,966,956	13.1	492.0	505.1
Employee share option scheme:
- Proceeds from shares issued	4,393,626	0.1	7.8	7.9
At 30 September 2010	1,317,360,582	13.2	499.8	513.0

	Number of shares (Audited)	Ordinary  shares (Audited) £m	Share premium (Audited) £m	Total (Audited) £m
At 1 October 2008	1,309,557,557	13.1	486.6	499.7
Employee share option scheme:
- Proceeds from shares issued	3,409,399	-	5.4	5.4
At 30 September 2009	1,312,966,956	13.1	492.0	505.1

7 Net debt

Analysis of change in net debt (inclusive of finance leases)	At 1 October 2009 (Audited) £m	Cash flow (Unaudited) £m	Acquisitions (Unaudited) £m	Other (Unaudited) £m	Exchange movements (Unaudited) £m	At 30 September 2010 (Unaudited) £m
Cash and cash equivalents	59.4	10.0	-	-	1.4	70.8
Bank overdrafts	(7.2)	6.6	-	-	0.4	(0.2)
Cash, cash equivalents and bank overdrafts	52.2	16.6	-	-	1.8	70.6
Loans due within one year	(11.4)	9.3	0.1	-	-	(2.0)
Finance leases due within one year	(0.2)	0.1	-	(0.5)	-	(0.6)
Loans due after more than one year	(460.5)	204.5	-	3.1	6.9	(246.0)
Finance leases due after more than one year	(0.1)	-	-	(3.2)	-	(3.3)
Cash collected from customers	(19.4)	(15.6)	(3.1)	-	(0.4)	(38.5)
Total	(439.4)	214.9	(3.0)	(0.6)	8.3	(219.8)

Included in cash above is £38.5m (30 September 2009: £19.4m) relating to cash collected from customers, which the Group is contracted to pay onto another party. A liability for the same amount is included in trade and other payables on the balance sheet and is classified within net debt above.

 

END

 

 

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