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Final Results

23 Aug 2018 07:00

RNS Number : 6173Y
Arcontech Group PLC
23 August 2018
 

ARCONTECH GROUP PLC

 

("Arcontech", the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Final Results for the year ended 30 June 2018

 

Arcontech (AIM: ARC), the provider of products and services for real-time financial market data processing and trading, is pleased to announce its final audited results for the year ended 30 June 2018.

 

Financial Highlights:

 

· Revenue of £2,519,699 (2017: £2,307,751)

· Adjusted profit before tax* of £626,856 (2017: £441,996)

· Profit before tax of £575,632 (2017: £373,263)

· Cash balance of £3,210,058 (2017: £2,636,471)

· Fully diluted earnings per share of 7.09p (2017: 3.68p)

· Final dividend of 1.3 pence per share (2017: 1.0 pence per share)

*Adjusted for share-based payments

 

Operational Highlights:

 

· Secured two clients for the new Desktop software solution, different uses and global deployment

· Proof of concept trials at six more Tier 1 banks

· Secured first client on the African continent

· Continued investment in sales & marketing

· Healthy injection of new contracts through expanding server-side infrastructure solutions and new Desktop software solution to existing customers

· Strong cash generation and recurring revenue

 

 

Commenting on the results, Richard Last, Chairman of Arcontech said:

"Arcontech is a well-run business where costs, including continued product investment, are well controlled such that increases in revenue materially improve profitability. Our focus is, therefore, on winning new business. Whilst we believe the opportunities for increased sales exist, the sales cycle is unpredictable and remains longer than we would like. Our prospects are positive, albeit they need to be tempered against uncertainties in the investment banking and finance sectors, as a result of the low interest rate environment and issues following Brexit."

 

 

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

 

Enquiries:

 

Arcontech Group plc

020 7256 2300

Richard Last, Chairman and Non-Executive Director

Matthew Jeffs, Chief Executive

finnCap Ltd (Nomad & Broker)

020 7220 0500

Carl Holmes/Simon Hicks

To access more information on the Group please visit: www.arcontech.com

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman's Statement

 

Arcontech Group plc ("Arcontech" or the "Company") is pleased to report another year of good growth, with profit before taxation for the year ended 30 June 2018 of £575,632 (2017: £373,263), a year-on-year increase of 54% and ahead of expectations. Arcontech achieved a profit after tax of £915,084 (2017: £470,251) for the year, this included a deferred tax credit of £270,000 arising from recognising previous tax losses due to the improving profitability of the Group.

 

Turnover for the year increased by 9% to £2,519,699 (2017: £2,307,751). This was achieved mainly through additional annual licence sales to existing customers. During the year we redeployed our Hong Kong based salesman to the UK to focus on our Desktop software solution which was launched in late 2017. Since the year-end we have taken on additional sales resource to drive new sales activity whilst continuing to provide excellent account management to existing customers.

 

Fully diluted earnings per share for the year ended 30 June 2018 increased by 92% to 7.09 pence (2017: 3.68 pence).

 

Although we have invested in additional sales resource we have maintained tight cost control throughout the year. Investment in product development and enhancement continued at similar levels to the previous year, which we expect to sustain going forward. We also expect to invest in additional marketing of our MVCS and desktop software solution in the coming year.

 

Financing

As at 30 June 2018 Arcontech had no debt and cash balances of £3,210,058 (2017: £2,636,471) after paying a maiden dividend, an increase of 21% reflecting increased profitability. The business continues to be well financed and has a robust balance sheet.

 

Dividend

I am pleased to announce that subsequent to the year-end we agreed to propose, subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting, to pay a dividend of 1.30 pence per share for the year ended 30 June 2018 (1.0 pence per share for the year ended 30 June 2017), an increase of 30%, to those shareholders on the register as at the close of business on 7 September 2018, with an ex-dividend date of 6 September 2018.

 

Employees

I would like to thank our employees and my colleagues on the Board for their hard work, continued support and dedication, which is greatly appreciated.

Outlook

Arcontech is a well-run Company where operational gearing is such that increased sales will have a material positive impact on our profitability. We have added additional sales resource to increase our focus on new business growth and while this will add to our cost base we believe it will generate positive results in the near future. Our pipeline of prospects remains positive, albeit they need to be tempered by the traditionally long and complex sales cycles that are an enduring facet of our business.

 

Richard Last

Chairman and Non-Executive Director

 

 

 

Chief Executive's Review

 

I am pleased to report that during the year we maintained our focus on expanding and delivering on the sales pipeline, whilst continuing to control costs, which resulted in a profit before tax of £575,632 (2017: £373,263), an increase of 54% compared to the previous year and a creditable performance by the Group.

 

The year under review saw two global clients that were trialling our desktop software solution signed up as paying users. Pleasingly, they have both rolled out our solution internationally. We also have six other clients running trials and secured an additional client for our cache product in Africa, our first client on that continent. The majority of our business during the year was a result of expanding our existing client relationships.

 

Significantly, we renewed a multi-year agreement with an existing global client who is moving from a traditional market data platform to an open-source solution. As an integral part of the overall solution we expect the relationship will grow as the new solution is rolled out globally across the business. Other installations and upgrades, such as Windows to Linux, continue without issue.

 

We relocated our Hong Kong based salesperson to London, where we believe greater opportunities exist both within the UK and also by using it as a base from where we can target other regions. We have also recruited another salesperson to help accelerate sales growth further. Learning new products and building new relationships in our domain takes time and we expect to see an increasingly positive impact towards the latter part of the current year.

 

Our participation in the FinTech community, where we both add and receive value, continues to be beneficial for all parties. We have retained our membership of the OpenMAMA steering committee and changed our membership of the Symphony Foundation to now become a development partner with Symphony LLC. As these organisations evolve we will benefit through exposure of our solutions and the ways in which we can meet market data needs to the broader financial community.

 

The outlook for the business remains positive and unaffected by the wider uncertainties surrounding Brexit.

 

The length of the sales cycle has been longer that we would like, however, we believe the expanded product offering and sales capability should improve the frequency of sales. Coupled with the excellent work of our development and support teams, we continue to build on our strengths whilst working with our clients to help meet their ever-changing needs.

 

Our overriding focus remains on sales growth and continuing to build our pipeline. We are also exploring opportunities with other organisations that will complement our offerings, whilst continuing to look for strategic acquisition opportunities that will benefit the Group.

 

We look forward to continued growth in the year ahead.

Matthew Jeffs

Chief Executive

 

 

 

Strategic Report

 

The Directors present the group strategic report for Arcontech Group plc and its subsidiaries for the year ended 30 June 2018.

 

Principal activities

 

The principal activities of the Company and its subsidiaries during the year were the development and sale of proprietary software and provision of computer consultancy services.

 

Review of the business and prospects

 

A full review of the operations, financial position and prospects of the Group is given in the Chairman's Statement and Chief Executive's Review on pages 2 to 3.

 

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

 

The Directors monitor the business using management reports and information, reviewed and discussed at monthly Board meetings. Financial and non-financial KPIs used in this report include:

 

Financial KPIs:

Revenue £2,519,699 (2017: £2,307,751; 2016: £2,141,630)

Measurement:

Revenue from sales made to all customers (excluding intra-group sales which eliminate on consolidation)

 

Performance:

Continued growth driven by increased sales of our product offering

Adjusted profit £626,856 (2017: £441,996; 2016: £329,260)

Measurement:

Profit before share based payments and tax

 

Performance:

Continued growth reflects increase in revenues whilst continuing to maintain tight cost control

Cash £3,210,058 (2017: £2,636,471; 2016: £1,633,159)

Measurement:

Cash and cash equivalents held at the end of the year

Performance:

The Group intends to maintain cash balances at this level subject to any exceptional items or acquisition

opportunities that may arise

Non-financial KPIs:

 

Staff retention rate (net) 92% (2017: 100%; 2016: 93%)

Measurement:

Net movement in joiners and leavers as a percentage of the number of staff at the beginning of the year

 

Performance:

Staff morale from our dedicated employees remains strong, reflected in the small net decrease

 

 

Principal risks and uncertainties

 

The Group's performance is affected by a number of risks and uncertainties, which the Board monitor on an ongoing basis in order to identify, manage and minimise their possible impact. General risks and uncertainties include changes in economic conditions, interest rate fluctuations and the impact of competition. The Group's principal risk areas and the action taken to mitigate their outcome are shown below:

 

Risk area

Mitigation

Competition

Ongoing investment in research and development

Responding to the changing needs of clients to remain competitive

Loss of key personnel

Employee share option scheme in place

 

Approved on behalf of the board on 22 August 2018 by:

 

 

 

Matthew Jeffs

Michael Levy

Chief Executive

Group Finance Director

 

 

 

Group Income Statement and Statement of Comprehensive Income

 

For the year ended 30 June 2018

 

 

 

 

 

2018

 

 

 

2017

 

£

£

Revenue

2,519,699

2,307,751

Administrative costs

(1,958,176)

(1,942,430)

 

Operating profit

561,523

365,321

 

Finance income

14,109

7,942

 

Profit before taxation

575,632

373,263

 

Taxation

339,452

96,988

 

Profit for the year after tax

915,084

470,251

 

Total comprehensive income for the year

915,084

470,251

 

 

Earnings per share (basic)

 

 

7.14p

3.79p

 

Earnings per share (diluted)

 

 

7.09p

3.68p

 

 

All of the results relate to continuing operations.

 

 

 

Statement of Changes in Equity

 

For the year ended 30 June 2018

 

Group:

Share

capital

Share

premium

Share option reserve

Retained

earnings

Total

equity

£

£

£

£

£

Balance at 30 June 2016

1,541,732

2,024

119,692

568,831

2,232,279

Profit for the year

-

-

-

470,251

470,251

 

Total comprehensive income for the year

1,541,732

2,024

119,692

1,039,082

2,702,530

Issue of shares

20,944

7,778

-

-

28,722

Share-based payments

-

-

68,733

-

68,733

 

Balance at 30 June 2017

1,562,676

9,802

188,425

1,039,082

2,799,985

Dividend paid

-

-

-

(125,760)

(125,760)

Profit for the year

-

-

-

915,084

915,084

 

Total comprehensive income for the year

1,562,676

9,802

188,425

1,828,406

3,589,309

Issue of shares

88,638

46,579

-

-

135,217

Share-based payments

-

-

51,224

-

51,224

Realisation of share option reserve

-

-

(183,283)

183,283

-

 

Balance at 30 June 2018

1,651,314

56,381

56,366

2,011,689

3,775,750

 

 

Balance Sheet

 

Registered number: 04062416

 

As at 30 June 2018

 

Group2018£

Group2017£

Non-current assets

Goodwill

1,715,153

1,715,153

Property, plant and equipment

17,941

33,825

Deferred tax asset

270,000

-

 

Trade and other receivables

141,750

141,750

Total non-current assets

2,144,844

1,890,728

Current assets

Trade and other receivables

310,123

175,496

Cash and cash equivalents

3,210,058

2,636,471

Total current assets

3,520,181

2,811,967

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

(1,889,275)

(1,902,710)

Total current liabilities

(1,889,275)

(1,902,710)

Net current assets

1,630,906

909,257

Net assets

3,775,750

2,799,985

Equity

Called up share capital

1,651,314

1,562,676

Share premium account

56,381

9,802

Share option reserve

56,366

188,425

Retained earnings

2,011,689

1,039,082

3,775,750

2,799,985

 

The profit dealt with in the financial statements of the Parent Company was £1,076,709 (2017: £1,418,859).

 

Approved on behalf of the board on 22 August 2018 by:

 

 

 

 

Matthew Jeffs

Michael Levy

Chief Executive

Group Finance Director

 

Group Cash Flow Statement

 

For the year ended 30 June 2018

 

2018

2017

£

£

Net cash generated from operating activities

552,111

974,800

 

Investing activities

Interest received

14,109

7,942

Purchases of plant and equipment

(2,090)

(8,152)

 

Net cash generated from/(invested in) investing activities

12,019

(210)

Financing activities

 

Issue of shares

135,217

28,722

Dividend paid

(125,760)

-

Net cash generated from financing activities

9,457

28,722

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

573,587

1,003,312

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

2,636,471

1,633,159

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

3,210,058

2,636,471

 

 

 

 

Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 30 June 2018

 

Status of financial information

 

Arcontech Group plc is a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales whose ordinary shares of £0.125 each are traded on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange. The Company's registered office is 1st Floor, 11-21 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4JU.

 

The Board of Directors approved this preliminary announcement on 22 August 2018. Whilst the financial information included in this preliminary announcement has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as endorsed by the European Union, this announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with all the disclosure requirements of IFRS and does not constitute statutory accounts of the Company for the years ended 30 June 2018 or 30 June 2017.

 

The financial information set out in this announcement does not comprise the Group's statutory accounts for the years ended 30 June 2018 or 30 June 2017.

 

The financial information has been extracted from the statutory accounts of the Company for the years ended 30 June 2018 or 30 June 2017. The auditors reported on those accounts; their reports were unqualified and did not contain a reference to any matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their report and did not contain a statement under either Section 498 (2) or Section 498 (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

 

The statutory accounts for the year ended 30 June 2017 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, whereas those for the year ended 30 June 2018 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting.

 

Operating segments:

 

The Group reports internally to the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM), who is considered to be the Board. Intersegment license fees and management charges are not included in the reports reviewed by the CODM during the year but are calculated for statutory reporting purposes and therefore are excluded from the following revenue and operating profit disclosures.

 

2018

2017

£

£

Revenue by segment

Software development and licence fees

2,519,699

2,307,751

External segment revenue

2,519,699

2,307,751

Operating profit by segment

Software development and licence fees

1,126,932

854,981

Unallocated overheads

(565,409)

(489,660)

Total operating profit

561,523

365,321

Finance income

14,109

7,942

Total profit before tax as reported in the Group income statement

575,632

373,263

 

2018

2017

£

£

Segment total of assets

 

Software development and licence fees

4,090,852

3,547,110

Unallocated assets

4,140,338

3,802,083

8,231,190

7,349,193

Less inter company debtors

(2,566,166)

(2,646,498)

Total assets

5,665,024

4,702,695

 

 

 

2018

2017

£

£

Segment total liabilities

Software development and licence fees

4,318,229

3,890,649

Unallocated liabilities

137,212

658,560

4,455,441

4,549,209

Less inter company creditors

(2,566,166)

(2,646,499)

Total liabilities

1,889,275

1,902,710

 

 

 

 

2018

2017

£

£

Additions of property, plant and equipment assets by segment

Software development and licence fees

2,090

8,152

Total additions

2,090

8,152

 

Disposals of property, plant and equipment assets by segment

Software development and licence fees

-

2,699

Total disposals

-

2,699

 

2018

2017

£

£

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment assets recognised in the period by segment

 

Software development and licence fees

17,974

19,112

Total depreciation

17,974

19,112

 

 

 

 

Non-current assets by country

2018

2017

£

£

UK

2,144,844

1,890,728

Total non-current assets

2,144,844

1,890,728

 

 

 

Geographical information - External revenue

2018

2017

£

£

UK

1,669,949

1,600,027

Europe (excluding UK)

796,468

652,894

Africa

22,562

-

North America

28,488

27,830

Asia Pacific

2,232

27,000

2,519,699

2,307,751

 

 

During the year there were 3 customers (2017: 3) who accounted for more than 10% of the Group's revenues as follows:

 

 

2018

2017

Value ofsales£

% of Total

 

 

Value ofsales

£

% of Total

 

 

Customer 1

620,630

25%

612,998

27%

Customer 2

477,258

19%

357,327

15%

Customer 3

375,219

15%

309,232

13%

1,473,107

59%

1,279,557

55%

 

These revenues are attributable to the software development and licence fees segment.

 

 

 

 

Profit per share

 

2018

2017

£

£

Earnings

Earnings for the purpose of basic and diluted earnings per share being net profit attributable to equity shareholders

915,084

470,251

915,084

470,251

 

No.

No.

Number of shares

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purpose of basic earnings per share

12,821,702

12,396,220

Number of dilutive shares under option

77,699

367,595

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purposes of dilutive earnings per share

12,899,401

12,763,815

 

The calculation of diluted earnings per share assumes conversion of all potentially dilutive ordinary shares, all of which arise from share options. A calculation is done to determine the number of shares that could have been acquired at fair value, based upon the monetary value of the subscription rights attached to outstanding share options.

 

 

Dividends

 

A final dividend of 1.3 pence will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting but has not been recognised as it requires approval (2017: 1.0 pence).

 

Annual General Meeting

 

The Annual General Meeting of Arcontech Group PLC will be held at the Company's offices, 1st Floor, 11-21 Paul Street, London EC2A 4JU on 27 September 2018 at 10.00 a.m.

 

Annual report and accounts

 

Copies of the annual report and accounts will be sent to shareholders shortly and will be available from the Company Secretary at the Company's registered office at 1st Floor, 11-21 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4JU or from the Company's website at www.arcontech.com

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
 
END
 
 
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