Interim Results
Numis Corporation PLC
29 April 2003
Numis Corporation Plc
Interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2003
Numis Corporation Plc ('Numis') today announces unaudited interim results for
the six months ended 31 March 2003. Numis is the holding company of Numis
Securities Limited, a specialist investment banking and stockbroking business.
Highlights
• Profit before tax and exceptionals up by 37% to £5.08m (2002: £3.71m)
• Basic earnings per share up 31% to 23.4p (2002: 17.8p pre exceptional
profit)
• Net assets increased by 30% to £20.6m (2002: £15.8m)
• £240m raised for corporate clients
• Sponsored the largest IPO in London during the period under review
• Corporate client list increases from 25 to 40
• Michael Spencer, Chief Executive of Icap, to become Chairman
• Equity issue to Intercapital Private Group to raise £5.7m
Oliver Hemsley, chief executive of Numis Corporation, said:
'We are pleased to report a strong set of results. Numis is maturing into a
significant investment banking and stockbroking group and we are delighted to
welcome Michael Spencer as chairman. His tremendous experience of global
financial markets will prove invaluable to the Group as it moves forward.
We have made a satisfactory start to the second half of the year. We are
confident that the increased financial resources provided by the equity issue,
combined with the high quality individuals that we are recruiting, lay the
foundations for future growth'.
Contacts:
Numis Corporation
Oliver Hemsley, Chief Executive 020 7776 1500
Gavin Anderson & Company
Neil Bennett 020 7554 1400
Laura Hickman
Chief Executive's Statement
We are pleased to report that the Group's profit before tax for the six months
ended 31 March 2003 was £5.08 million (2002: £3.71 million before an exceptional
item). Turnover increased for the period to £11.5 million (2002: £9.4 million).
Basic earnings per share were 23.4p (2002: 17.8p before the exceptional profit).
Net assets have increased to £20.6 million (2002: £15.8 million). This has been
a considerable achievement at a time when equity market conditions in the UK and
overseas have remained challenging.
Corporate Finance & Corporate Broking
During the six months under review we have raised in excess of £240 million for
corporate clients. Transactions included the largest initial public offering in
the London market during the period under review. We have continued to attract
new clients and are delighted that there is an increasing awareness amongst UK
quoted companies of Numis and its services.
We now have 40 corporate clients, compared to 25 six months earlier, and we
expect to grow this number further. New and existing corporate clients are drawn
from our specialist sectors of insurance, financials, media, retail, food
producers, support services, life sciences, mining and high tech engineering.
We are building our Corporate Finance business through the addition of a number
of high quality individuals and we are confident of growing our client list
whilst at the same time enhancing the level of service we provide.
Research, Sales & Trading
Our analytical coverage of UK companies is increasing alongside our reputation
for providing independent comment. Our secondary market activities have held up
well despite the weak equity markets and we are using the opportunities offered
by the bear market to upgrade our service and personnel. Our market making and
sales trading divisions continue to make progress and we now make markets in 149
stocks. We will increase this number where we believe we can add liquidity and
expertise.
Other Developments
In a separate press release today, we are also announcing the appointment of
Michael Spencer as our chairman. Michael is Group Chief Executive of Icap, the
world's largest inter-dealer broker. We are also announcing an equity issue of
1.828 million new ordinary shares to Intercapital Private Group Limited, a
private company chaired by Michael Spencer, at 315p per share to raise £5.7
million, after expenses. The equity issue is subject, amongst other things, to
shareholders' approval at an extraordinary general meeting to be held on
Thursday 5 June 2003.
At that extraordinary general meeting, we are also proposing the adoption of a
Long Term Incentive Plan ('LTIP') for the benefit of our employees. The quality
of our employees is essential to our success and we have always believed in the
importance of aligning their interests with those of our external shareholders.
The establishment of the LTIP will provide a valuable tool in retaining our key
contributors and in attracting new teams. Initial awards under the LTIP are
expected to raise a further £1.3 million for the Group. Further details of the
equity issue and the LTIP are contained in a circular that will be sent to
shareholders shortly.
Outlook
Market conditions remain challenging and we are grateful to our staff for their
considerable efforts over the period. However, we remain focused on developing
our business whilst keeping a firm control on costs.
We have made a satisfactory start to the second half of the year and are
confident that we are putting in place strong foundations for future growth.
Oliver Hemsley
Chief Executive
29 April 2003
Consolidated profit and loss account
Unaudited results for the 6 months ended 31 March 03
6 months 6 months Year
ended ended ended
31 Mar 03 31 Mar 02 30 Sept 02
Unaudited Unaudited Audited
£ £ £
TURNOVER 11,500,558 9,427,901 17,413,364
Administrative expenses (6,914,042) (6,078,765) (11,987,343)
OPERATING PROFIT 4,586,516 3,349,136 5,426,021
Share of associated undertaking's
profit 194,814 229,315 341,314
Exceptional item
- profit on disposal of fixed asset 0 1,055,654 1,055,654
investments
PROFIT ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES
BEFORE INTEREST AND AMOUNTS
WRITTEN OFF INVESTMENTS 4,781,330 4,634,105 6,822,989
Interest receivable and similar income 310,827 243,523 469,426
Amounts written off investments 0 (111,989) (114,489)
Interest payable and similar charges (8,339) (297) (854)
PROFIT ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES
BEFORE TAXATION 5,083,818 4,765,342 7,177,072
Taxation on profit on ordinary activities (1,525,144) (1,354,787) (2,198,212)
PROFIT ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES
AFTER TAXATION 3,558,674 3,410,555 4,978,860
Earnings per share
Basic 23.4 p 22.7 p 33.2 p
Diluted 19.5 p 19.8 p 28.9 p
Earnings per share, excluding exceptional
item
Basic 23.4 p 17.8 p 28.3 p
Diluted 19.5 p 15.5 p 24.6 p
Consolidated balance sheet
Unaudited as at 31 March 03
31 Mar 03 31 Mar 02 30 Sept 02
Unaudited Unaudited Audited
£ £ £
Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets 910,224 1,080,999 1,078,992
Fixed asset investments 1,719,612 992,366 1,209,277
Investment in associated undertaking 616,986 402,216 480,616
3,246,822 2,475,581 2,768,885
Current assets
Debtors 17,323,785 17,861,826 18,533,150
Investments 1,620,021 304,572 960,588
Cash at bank and in hand 15,698,427 11,694,160 13,586,063
34,642,233 29,860,558 33,079,801
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year (17,264,361) (16,566,931) (19,266,829)
Net current assets 17,377,872 13,293,627 13,812,972
Net assets 20,624,694 15,769,208 16,581,857
Capital and reserves
Share capital 3,905,767 3,818,000 3,842,583
Share premium account 3,781,228 3,275,925 3,356,425
Profit and loss account 12,937,699 8,675,283 9,382,849
Shareholders funds 20,624,694 15,769,208 16,581,857
Notes
Accounting policies
The accounting policies that have been applied to the unaudited results are
consistent with the latest published audited accounts.
Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share is based on profit on ordinary activities after
taxation of £3,558,674 (2002: £3,410,555), adjusted to £3,538,122 (2002:
£3,401,332) to remove dividends held in the Employee Share Trust, on a weighted
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period of 15,118,029
(2002: 14,980,000). Diluted earnings per share assumes that options outstanding
at the end of the financial period were exercised at the beginning of the
financial period where the exercise price per share is less than the fair value
of the price of the share in the period.
Administrative expenses
Administrative expenses include a provision for incentive payments of £2.18m
(2002: £1.59m).
Dividend
The Group will pay no interim dividend (2002: Nil).
Audited results
The audited results for the year ended 30 September 2002 are an extract from the
latest published audited accounts and do not constitute the statutory accounts
as defined in Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The published audited
accounts have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and included the
report of the auditors that was unqualified.
Further copies
Copies of the interim statement will be sent to shareholders shortly. Copies of
this announcement are available free of charge for one month from:
The Company Secretary
Numis Corporation Plc
Cheapside House
138 Cheapside
London EC2V 6LH
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange