Informa Regulatory News (INF)

Informa PLC Press Release 

24 July 2019

Half-Year Results for Six Months to 30 June 2019

Key Financial and Operating Highlights1

·; Strong revenue growth: +47.1% reported growth and +3.4% underlying, with a full period of UBM

·; Improved Adjusted Operating Profit growth: +48.0% reported growth and 8.2% underlying

·; Higher Statutory Operating Profit: +65.5% growth to £248.3m (H1 2018: £150.0m)

·; Lower Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share: 23.2p versus 24.6p in H1 2018, reflecting timing of UBM acquisition and issue of new shares in June 2018; comparable pro-forma EPS growth of +17.1%

·; Enhanced Free Cash Flow: £306.4m versus £131.1m in H1 2018

·; Efficient Balance Sheet: Reduction in net debt / EBITDA to 2.7x (H1 2018: 3.1x)

·; Increased Interim Dividend: up +7.1% to 7.55p (H1 2018: 7.05p)

London: Informa (LSE: INF.L), the International Exhibitions, Events, Information Services and Scholarly Publishing Group, today released its financial results for the six months to 30 June 2019, reporting continued growth and performance, including the effective delivery of the 12-month Accelerated Integration Plan ("AIP").

Stephen A. Carter, Group Chief Executive, said: "A year on from the acquisition of UBM, the enlarged Informa Group is performing to plan, delivering a further period of growth in revenue, adjusted operating profit, free cash flow and dividends."

He added: "Our Advanced Learning businesses remain resilient, our Data, Information and Communities businesses are performing well, and despite previously identified headwinds in our Fashion and Middle East businesses, we continue to grow consistently in Events and Exhibitions. This puts us on track to deliver our targets for 2019 and provides a strong foundation for consistent future growth and performance."

Performing to Plan across the Group, delivering H1 underlying revenue growth of 3.4%1:

·; Informa Markets: Continued good growth, reflecting international reach and focus on major B2B brands with depth in attractive specialist markets; H1 pro-forma reported revenue growth of 8.4% and 4.4% underlying;

·; Informa Connect: Continued focus on branded confexes and events in Life Sciences and Finance delivers further progress; H1 pro-forma reported revenue growth of 8.0% and 2.1% underlying;

·; Informa Tech: Newly formed market-facing business performing well, ahead of seasonal uplift in the second half and the addition of IHS Markit's TMT portfolio; H1 pro-forma reported revenue growth of 5.7% and 1.1% underlying;

·; Informa Intelligence: Focus on subscriptions delivers strong renewals and steady new business momentum, complemented by valuable consulting and project work; H1 pro-forma reported revenue growth of 8.9% and 3.2% underlying;

·; Taylor & Francis: Solid subscription renewals and strong momentum in open access delivers resilient performance against a tough comparable; H1 pro-forma reported revenue growth of 5.6% and 1.8% underlying.

Operational Performance to Plan: Operating as one Group, focusing on specialist markets

·; AIP completed on schedule: One-year programme of combination and creation delivered on budget and on schedule. All teams combined, leadership confirmed, brands aligned and operating as one business. On track to deliver £50m cost synergies in 2019, with more than £20m realised in H1;

·; Progressive Portfolio Management: Agreement for the divestiture of wealth management information business, IIS, announced today for up to $85m, subject to certain conditions, following on from previous sale of the Life Sciences Media Portfolio and the proposed agreement with IHS Markit for our Agribusiness Intelligence portfolio; programme of targeted disposals nearing completion, increasing the focus on core specialist markets with greatest opportunities for growth and expansion;

·; Creation of Informa Tech: New market-focused business established, bringing together a portfolio of specialist brands and broad range of B2B products and services for the Technology industry; target to double underlying revenue growth within four years, supported by recent addition of IHS Markit's portfolio of leading TMT research and information brands;

·; Expansion in Premium Lifestyle: Extension and further strengthening of relationship with Principality of Monaco in Premium Lifestyle market, bringing together leading brands serving the International Yachting and Arts communities. Strong customer complementarity creates attractive opportunities for cross marketing and co-location initiatives;

·; Purpose & Values: Launch of Brand platform for the enlarged Informa Group, including new guiding principles, a Group purpose focused around Championing the Specialist, and a refreshed visual identity for all five operating divisions and the Group;

·; Board Strength in Depth: Appointment of Gill Whitehead as Non-Executive Director, bringing valuable digital, data and analytics expertise from roles at Google, Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide;

·; Progressive Dividends: Strong free cash flow underpins ongoing commitment to attractive and growing dividends, with +7.1% growth in Interim Dividends per Share.

1In this document we refer to non-statutory measures including underlying and adjusted results, these are defined later in the Measurement and Adjustments section of the Financial Review.

Pro-forma results are provided to give a more comparable set of divisional figures in 2018. Pro-forma results are on a reported basis excluding the Life Sciences Media Brands Portfolio that was sold in January 2019 and including a full six months of UBM's businesses which were acquired on 15 June 2018. These are provided for H1 2018 under the new divisional structure introduced in 2019.

Analysts and Investors

There will be a presentation to analysts at 9.30am on 24 July 2019 at Informa's offices at 240 Blackfriars, London, SE1 8BU. A simultaneous webcast of the analysts' presentation will be available via the Company's website (www.informa.com).

Financial Highlights (2018 figures are as reported, including 15 days contribution from UBM)

1In this document we refer to Underlying and Reported results. Underlying figures are adjusted for acquisitions/disposals, events phasing and foreign currency movements. Year-on-year growth from material acquisitions/disposals is included on a pro-forma basis from the first day of ownership. Reported figures exclude all such adjustments.

2In this document we also refer to Statutory and Adjusted results, as well as other non-statutory financial measures. Adjusted results are prepared to provide an alternative measure to explain the Group's business performance. Adjusted results exclude adjusting items as set out in Note 4 to the Financial Statements. Operating cash flow, free cash flow, net debt and other non-statutory measures are discussed in the Financial Review.

Trading Outlook

The enlarged Informa Group combines international balance and reach with depth in a range of specialist markets, providing events, content and information services to professional and academic communities. We operate close to our customers in many of these individual specialist markets, helping them to connect, learn, discover and trade.

This depth and breadth provides a level of resilience and predictability and this is underpinning our targets for 2019, despite ongoing uncertainty from US/China trade tensions, the UK's planned departure from the European Union, and other geo-political and macro events.

Informa Markets…Broad-based Growth 

In our largest division, our strategy to build international scale within attractive, specialist B2B markets continues to deliver consistent and attractive revenue growth and we remain confident of meeting our 4.5%+ underlying revenue growth target for the year.

We now have an international portfolio of more than 550 B2B brands, with around 40% of our revenue coming from North America, 30% from Asia and 10% from the Middle East. This compares to nine years ago when more than 30% of total events revenue was from the Middle East alone. This increased balance and breadth has significantly improved our portfolio strength and resilience, allowing us to manage pockets of weakness in individual markets and regions whilst still delivering good growth overall.

In 2019, this portfolio strength is evident across both individual markets and geographic regions. For example, continued strong growth in Healthcare & Pharma (CPhI China, CPhI Worldwide) and Health & Nutrition (Natural Products Expo West, Vitafoods Europe) is more than offsetting continuing headwinds in Fashion, ahead of the benefits of our Fashion GAP starting to take effect.

Similarly, across the regions where we operate, the US and China generally remain buoyant whereas the Middle East is seeing more subdued levels of activity. Currently, there is also a specific impact in this region from World Expo 2020 on our event Cityscape Global and other traditional exhibitions investment, with increasing in-market commitment to this one-off event.

Informa Connect…Improving Growth

Our branded confex and content business is now streamlined around two specialist markets, Life Sciences and Finance, which account for around two thirds of revenue. Here, we are using our major brands as the foundation for year-round engagement with professional communities, strengthening our customer relationships and creating opportunities for selling an increasingly wide array of events, content, marketing and other lead generation services.

This strategy is delivering improving levels of growth and better quality and more reliable revenue. This is evident in our solid first half performance and encouraging pacing trends for the second half, which puts us on track to deliver our 2.5%+ underlying revenue growth target for the year.

Adjusted operating margins were lower in the first-half of the year, largely reflecting cost phasing and the seasonal weighting of revenue to the second half. We expect this to reverse in the next six months, with full year margins expected to be at least in line with last year. 

Informa Tech…Building for Growth

In 2019, the focus for Informa Tech is to combine its component businesses effectively, creating a unified brand that resonates across the Technology market. This task will be enhanced by the addition of IHS Markit's portfolio of TMT brands from early August, extending our international reach in Asia and North America and further strengthening our position in key Technology sub-sectors.

As we deepen our presence and strengthen our customer relationships across the market, we believe we can accelerate the growth delivered by this business. In 2019 we remain on track to deliver 2%+ underlying revenue growth, with the target to double this within four years.

Informa Intelligence…Predictable Growth

Following significant restructuring and reinvestment through the 2014-2017 Growth Acceleration Plan, our specialist information business has returned to consistent and improving levels of growth. In 2019, customer renewals and new business volumes through the primary subscription season were encouraging and this has set us up well for the rest of the year, supported by strong interest and activity in consulting and other incremental project work. This leaves us firmly on track to reach our target of around 3% underlying revenue growth.

As the business has returned to more predictable levels of performance, we have used the AIP to review and further focus the portfolio on those specialist markets where we have the strongest brands and market opportunities. This has led to the divestiture of our sub-scale Agribusiness Intelligence Portfolio and our wealth management information business, IIS, streamlining the business and focusing it on higher quality growth.

Taylor & Francis…Resilient Growth

Within our scholarly publishing business, we continue to focus on the quality and integrity of our content, which underpins the reputation of our specialist publishing brands within the niche subject categories and academic communities they serve. At the same time, we are continuing to invest in new and emerging areas of the market, strengthening our digital capabilities and building capacity and expertise in open access.

This is delivering robust and consistent revenue growth, with continued high levels of customer retention in our subscription products and strong momentum and growth in open access services. Books remain more transactional by nature but our focus on specialist, reference-led content and continued efficiency in production and distribution provides greater visibility and stability.

After a tough comparable in the first half, following a particularly strong period for Books in the early months of 2018, the trend is expected to ease through the second half, and with trading steady, we remain confident of meeting our target of 2%+ underlying revenue growth across the year.

Operational Review

Accelerated Integration Plan Delivered on Schedule

Our 12-month programme of activity to effectively combine the UBM portfolio with Informa is now complete. Across the Group, we have worked swiftly to make decisions on structures and roles to minimise disruption to colleagues and customers and start to reap the benefits of scale and market specialisation.

This AIP has been a phased programme of activity, delivering benefits across six key areas:

·; AIP Operating Model: We have adapted our operating approach and divisional structure to further increase the focus and orientation around customer end markets. This increased verticalisation reflects the continuing evolution of our customer relationships from single product provider to broader solutions partner, providing a range of B2B products and services.

·; AIP Leadership & Talent: All teams have been combined, with leadership decisions confirmed, budgets and business plans transitioned, and brands aligned. As the UBM brand is gradually phased out, we are increasingly going to the market as a single, unified business around the world.

·; AIP Operating Synergies: We remain on target to deliver £50m of in-year cost synergies in 2019, rising to a £60m run rate by the end of 2020 and a £75m rate by end 2021. These savings come from removing duplication in central group functions, simplification of management structures within the exhibitions businesses, property, procurement and the rationalisation of IT systems and licenses. We also continue to pursue incremental revenue opportunities through our 6-step Revenue Growth Plan.

·; AIP Fashion GAP: Our three-year programme to reverse the decline in the Fashion exhibitions business is now well underway and we are encouraged by the initial reaction to our plans from colleagues and customers. The focus is on leadership, operational fitness, venues and scheduling, with our first major event as part of the One-Magic initiative taking place in August.

·; AIP Portfolio Management: We used the AIP to launch a review of a number of businesses and portfolios. As outlined below, this has resulted in a number of divestitures which increase our focus on specialist markets and brands with better opportunities for long-term growth and expansion.

·; AIP Brand, Identity & Culture: Following the decision to retire the UBM brand, we have updated the brand platform of the enlarged Group, adapting our divisional brand architecture to align more closely around the Informa master brand, and developing an updated set of guiding principles and Group purpose for the new Informa Group.

While the AIP is now formally complete, there remain a number of ongoing combination activities across the Group, mainly in relation to the simplification of systems technology and back office services. A project led by Patrick Martell, the Group Chief Operating Officer, is underway to define the scope and ambition of this activity, centred around Enterprise Resource Platforms, Shared Service Centres and end-to-end processing.

The focus of the project is to improve operational effectiveness, increasing customer satisfaction, reducing errors and improving our speed to market. There is also the potential for some incremental operating efficiencies over time, although this is not the prime objective. As outlined at our recent Investor Day, 2019 is a planning year for the project, ahead of implementation in 2020/2021.

AIP Portfolio Management nearing completion

Since we launched the AIP in July 2018, we have reviewed a number of businesses and portfolios, mostly within Informa Intelligence. Many have seen their performance improve in recent years following the investment and focus of the 2014-2017 Growth Acceleration Plan. However, they remain sub-scale or in a market that lacks the growth potential or opportunities for expansion.

This has led to three divestitures:

·; Life Sciences Media Portfolio: In January we divested a portfolio of businesses that were previously part of UBM to MJH Associates for a consideration of just over $100m. These brands served certain segments of the Life Sciences market but generated revenue largely through a mix of advertising and sponsorship products.

·; Agribusiness Intelligence Portfolio: In June, we announced a portfolio agreement with the information services group, IHS Markit. This is structured as twin transactions resulting in an exchange of our Agribusiness Intelligence portfolio for its leading portfolio of TMT brands, exiting a market where we were sub-scale for a business that adds valuable breadth and depth to our emerging Informa Tech business. This is expected to complete in early August.

·; IIS: Today, we have announced an agreement to sell IIS, our wealth management information business, to Dragoncurve Financial Capital for a total consideration of up to $85m, subject to certain conditions. IIS has a focus on software and analytics tools rather than intelligence services and therefore has minimal synergies with any of our other financial intelligence brands.

·; IGM: Having launched a detailed review of options for our IGM financial intelligence business towards the end of 2018, we have concluded that it would be better to retain and build the business organically and so we are no longer talking to potential external partners.

In aggregate, the annualised revenue of those businesses divested this year is around £120m, with £40m+ of revenue coming back into Informa Tech through the addition of IHS Markit's TMT portfolio.

We have one more business currently under review which will then complete the AIP Portfolio Management Programme. This will be finished by the end of the third quarter, meaning we will enter 2020 further streamlined and focused on core specialist markets with attractive opportunities for future growth and scale.

We will, of course, continue to review the logic and value of retaining and investing in all the businesses within the Group on an annual basis as part of business-as-usual portfolio discipline.

Market Specialisation: The Creation of Informa Tech

Our new Divisional structure led to the creation of a new business in the first half of 2019, Informa Tech, combining all our various events, content, data and research businesses that serve the Technology market under a unified brand and single leadership team.

By organising around a market rather than around product formats, we believe it will be easier to share knowledge, content and relationships between our different businesses, bringing us closer to customers. This creates the potential for a virtuous circle of cross-marketing, turning our events audiences into content readers, then into training delegates and/or data subscribers. Over time, this will allow us to become more of a strategic partner to customers, providing tailored solutions rather than individual products. In addition, we believe our strong capabilities in research should provide us with valuable insights into the future direction of the industry, which should inform the launch and development of new events and the focus for relevant and engaging content.

In 2019, the task for this newly formed business is to build its brand and position in the market, communicating a strong and powerful message to the technology community that underscores the range and value of services it can offer. Its presence and reach in the market will be helped by the addition of IHS Markit's TMT portfolio in early August. This adds scale to its research business, including a valuable pool of talent and capability in Asia, as well as specific expertise in areas such as Communications Technology, Information Technology, Security and Emerging Transformational Tech.

Ultimately, the success of Informa Tech will be reflected in its results. Given the high levels of growth in many segments of the technology market, we believe there is scope to improve its performance over time and have set an initial target to double this year's 2%+ underlying growth target within four years.

Launch of the Informa Group's Purpose and Values

As with most business combinations, a key determinant of success is the reaction and buy-in of colleagues across the world. Getting this right is a lot about culture and creating a sense of alignment and shared values. For this reason, we placed significant emphasis on this area within the AIP, investing substantial time and effort to better understand what is important to Colleagues with both Informa and UBM backgrounds and creating a brand structure and taxonomy that we felt would resonate across the enlarged Group.

Our research included a series of surveys, interviews and workshops, canvassing and collecting input from more than 3,000 colleagues, partners and stakeholders. The level of engagement and input was very high and the early feedback has been encouraging.

It was clear from our research that Informa was the logical Group brand but that there was a desire from colleagues and customers to also align our divisions more closely to the Informa brand. Our updated divisional brand architecture reflects this, adopting Informa within most of the divisional names and thus allowing us to focus on building equity in this one over-arching brand. As a result, we are in the process of retiring the UBM brand, a project that should be completed by the end of the year.

With the brand structure confirmed, we have progressively updated Informa's wider brand platform, refreshing the Group and divisional visual identities, establishing a new set of guiding principles and defining our purpose. These outputs are all directly linked to the feedback from colleagues, where there was an overriding theme around specialisms and our role in supporting, developing and promoting specialist markets, hence the Group's purpose: Championing the Specialist.

Expansion in the Premium Lifestyle market

Informa has had a strong commercial relationship with the Principality of Monaco for many years, initially through our partnership on the Monaco Yacht Show, in which it has been a long-term shareholder. In 2017, this relationship was extended across Informa's full portfolio of International Yachting events, including our US shows such as the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and the Miami Yacht Show.

Today, we have announced a further extension and strengthening of this relationship through a small additional investment by Monaco to extend its shareholding across the broader Premium Lifestyle market. Initially, this sees us bring together our portfolio of International Yachting events with our Art exhibitions, including the recent addition, Art Miami. These events have a very complementary customer base and, in the case of Miami, strong regional community connections, creating attractive opportunities for co-located events, cross-marketing and cross-promotional initiatives.

Over time there is the potential for further expansion in these and other adjacent areas within Premium Lifestyle, making the most of Informa's strong expertise in exhibitions and events, and Monaco's deep industry knowledge and international relationships.

Group Board Appointment further strengthens digital and data expertise

Informa's Board of Directors continues to evolve to ensure there is a relevant and diverse mix of knowledge and experience in the boardroom. Today we are announcing the appointment of Gill Whitehead as a Non-Executive Director, bringing significant digital, data and analytics expertise to the Group.

Gill currently works for Google as Senior Director of Client Solutions & Analytics, having previously worked at Channel Four and BBC Worldwide in a range of strategy leadership and technology-driven roles. She is also a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Camelot, operator of the UK National Lottery.

Gill joins the Board on 1 August and will be a Member of the Audit Committee.

Divisional Trading Review

Informa reported strong growth in revenue and adjusted profit in the first half of 2019, up 47.1% and 48.0% respectively. On revenue, this reflected attractive underlying growth (+3.4%), positive currency benefits (+5.2%), a small phasing effect (-1.5%) and the half-year impact of acquisitions and disposals (+40.0%), including UBM, which was only included for 15 days of trading last year. On adjusted profit, the mix was similar but, in addition, we reaped the benefit of operating synergies from UBM, with over £20m of our £50m target for the year being realised through the first half, supporting margins in all operating divisions.

The commentary below includes statutory and adjusted measures. We believe adjusted operating profit is a useful additional measure in monitoring Divisional trading performance.

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Through more than 550 international B2B brands, we provide opportunities to engage, experience and do business via face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions.

In H1, Informa Markets accounted for 53.5% of Group Revenue and 59.9% of Adjusted Operating Profit. This included revenue of £39.5m from biennial events.

Our strategy to build international reach and depth in attractive specialist markets delivered further good growth in the first half. Highlights included Health & Nutrition (Natural Products Expo West), Healthcare & Pharma (CPhI China) and Hospitality & Food (Hotelex). As expected, Fashion remained the major headwind, recording a double-digit decline ahead of the launch of our One-Magic initiative in August.

Digital revenues continue to grow following the investment and continued rollout of MarkitMakr, which is now in over 30 events. In addition, a dedicated digital team was launched within Informa Markets under the banner of Advance, tasked with identifying and developing other digital opportunities for the business.

Informa Connect is the Group's Content and Connectivity business, organising content-driven events, training and programmes that provide a platform for professional communities to meet, network and share knowledge. With over 500 major international brands, it has particular strengths in Life Sciences and Finance.

In H1, Informa Connect accounted for 7.9% of Group Revenue and 2.5% of Adjusted Operating Profit.

A streamlined portfolio and increased focus on our major brands continues to deliver a steady improvement in growth, with some strong performances in Global Finance (SuperReturn International) and Life Sciences (Bio-Europe Spring) through the first half.

Adjusted operating profit was lower due to phasing, with a higher proportion of costs but a lower proportion of revenue in the first half, something that should reverse through the second half of the year.

Informa Tech informs, educates and connects specialist Technology communities around the world. Through more than 100 B2B brands, we provide specialist intelligence and knowledge, and build platforms for customers to engage, learn and be inspired to create a better digital world.

In H1, Informa Tech accounted for 7.7% of Group Revenue and 6.1% of Adjusted Operating Profit.

In its first period of trading, our newest business performed solidly, as it focused on bringing teams together and launching the brand into the market. Trading highlights included a strong performance by our bigger events brands in Gaming (Game Developers Conference) and Enterprise IT (Enterprise Connect) as well as by our major UK festival, London Tech Week.

Informa Intelligence provides specialist data, intelligence and insight to businesses, helping to make better decisions, gain competitive advantage and enhance return on investment. Through a range of specialist B2B brands, we provide intelligence to niche communities within Pharma, Finance, Transportation and Industry.

In H1, Informa Intelligence accounted for 13.0% of Group Revenue and 10.1% of Adjusted Operating Profit.

Our continued focus on subscriptions, supported by ongoing product investment and a strong sales culture, delivered further improvement in growth in the first half, with particular strength in Pharma and Maritime. Strong renewal rates and a healthy new business pipeline through the busy November to February period has set us up well for the year and this is supporting one-off consulting and project work.

Taylor & Francis publishes peer-reviewed scholarly research and specialist reference-led academic content across subjects within Humanities & Social Sciences and Science, Technology and Medicine. It is recognised internationally through its major publishing brands such as Taylor & Francis, Routledge and CRC Press.

In H1, Taylor & Francis accounted for 17.9% of Group Revenue and 21.5% of Adjusted Operating Profit.

Continued investment in specialist content, digital platforms and open access delivered further solid growth, despite a tough comparable after a strong trading period in the first half of 2018 (+3.5% underlying growth).

Operating margins increased significantly, reflecting a combination of revenue mix (stronger growth in Journals versus Books), a share of central cost synergies and currency (Dollar revenues versus Sterling costs).

Financial Review

Income Statement

One year on from the addition of UBM in June 2018, we reported another period of growth in revenue and adjusted profit, both on an underlying and reported basis. We benefited from a full period of contribution from UBM, unlike in H1 2018 when it was included for only 15 days. Combined with continuing good underlying growth of 3.4% and favourable tailwinds from currency movements, this led to reported revenue growth of 47.1% to £1,407.6m. Adjusted operating profit growth was 48.0% to £435.7m, with underlying growth of 8.2%. Statutory operating profit increased by 65.5% to £248.3m, reflecting the £141.3m growth in adjusted operating profit, partly offset by a £43.0m increase in adjusting items charged to operating profit, which were largely related to UBM. 

 1Amounts restated for finalisation of UBM acquisition (see Note 15)

Measurement and Adjustments

In addition to the statutory results, adjusted results are prepared for the income statement, including adjusted operating profit and adjusted diluted earnings per share. Adjusted results are prepared to provide a useful alternative measure to explain the Group's business performance and include recurring and non-recurring items. The Board considers these non-GAAP measures as the most appropriate way to measure the Group's performance because it is comparable to the prior year. This is also in line with the similarly adjusted measures used by peers and therefore facilitates comparison. The Divisional table below provides a reconciliation between statutory operating profit and adjusted operating profit by division.

Underlying growth refers to results adjusted for acquisitions/disposals, the phasing of events, including biennials, the impact of changes from implementing new accounting standards and accounting policy changes (e.g. IFRS 16 from 2019) and the effects of changes in foreign currency. The results from acquisitions are included on a pro-forma basis from the first day of ownership in the comparative period. Disposals are similarly adjusted for on a pro forma basis to exclude results in the comparative period from the date of disposal. Statutory figures exclude all such adjustments. Underlying revenue and adjusted operating profit growth are reconciled to reported growth as follows:

1H1 2018 financials only included 15 days of trading from UBM

Adjusting Items

The items below have been excluded from adjusted results. The total charge against operating profit for adjusting items rose to £187.4m in H1 2019 (H1 2018: £144.4m), mainly due to the increase in amortisation of acquired intangible assets following the combination with UBM in June 2018.

1 Intangible asset amortisation is in respect of acquired intangibles and excludes amortisation of software and product development

2 Amounts restated for finalisation of UBM acquisition (see Note 15)

The increase in intangible asset amortisation in H1 2019 primarily reflects the additional five and half months of amortisation of acquired intangibles of £67.4m relating to the UBM acquisition, which completed on 15 June 2018.

Other intangible amortisation relates to book lists and journal titles, acquired databases, customer and attendee relationships and brands related to exhibitions and conferences.

Intangible asset amortisation arising from software assets and product development is not treated as an adjusting item and so not included in the table, as it is treated as an ordinary cost in the calculation of adjusted operating profit.

Integration costs of £19.8m included £17.4m relating to the integration of UBM and consists mainly of property and staff-related reorganisation costs.

Following the launch of the Informa Divisional structure at the start of 2019 there was underlying revenue growth in all five operating divisions in H1 2019.

This resulted in Group underlying revenue growth of 3.4% and underlying profit growth of 8.2%, as shown in the following table:

1 Intangible asset amortisation is in respect of acquired intangibles, and excludes amortisation of software and product development

Adjusted net Finance Costs

Adjusted net finance costs in the period, consisting principally of interest costs on US private placement loan notes, bond and bank borrowings, increased by £28.2m to £57.9m. The increase reflects higher average debt levels following the acquisition of UBM in June 2018, as well as the 2018 impact of the inclusion of £329.2m of debt associated with leases from the adoption of IFRS 16 (£6.7m interest). The addition of UBM increased net debt by £1,211.9m in 2018, taking into account the cash consideration of £643.5m and £568.4m of net debt acquired with the business.

Taxation

The Group's effective tax rate reflects the blend of tax rates and profits in the jurisdictions in which we operate. In H1 2019, the adjusted effective tax rate was 19.0% (H1 2018: 18.0%), in line with guidance provided at the time of the UBM acquisition.

During H1 2019, the Group paid £52.8m (H1 2018: £26.5m) of corporation and similar taxes on profits, with the increase largely relating to UBM.

Earnings Per Share

Informa delivered good growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit during H1 2019 but, for technical reasons, our adjusted Earnings Per Share ("EPS") was lower. This reflects the increase in the average number of shares in issue following the acquisition of UBM, with 427.5m shares issued to the shareholders of UBM in June 2018. In H1 2018, this increase in equity was only reflected for 15 days compared to a full six months this year, leading to a 46.5% increase in the average number. This more than offset the 38.1% increase in adjusted earnings to £291.8m (H1 2018: £211.3m), leading to a decrease in adjusted diluted EPS of 5.7% to 23.2p (H1 2018: 24.6p).

If we adjust the H1 2018 EPS to a pro-forma estimate, reflecting a full 6 months of ownership of UBM (and related finance costs and share issuance), this provides a useful year-on-year comparable, with H1 2019 diluted adjusted EPS increasing by 17.1%.

Statutory diluted earnings per share increased by 42.2% to 14.5p, reflecting the higher adjusted earnings, with adjusting items reducing by 11.6%.

Dividends

The Group maintains a progressive dividend policy, with the aim to grow dividends broadly in line with adjusted earnings. This approach aims to achieve a balance between sufficiently rewarding shareholders and retaining the financial strength and flexibility to reinvest in the business and pursue growth opportunities.

For H1 2019, the Board has recommended an interim dividend of 7.55p per share (H1 2018: 7.05p per share) representing a 7.1% increase on the interim dividend in the prior period. The interim dividend will be paid on 13 September 2019 to ordinary shareholders registered as at the close of business on 9 August 2019.

In H1 2019 £185.6m (H1 2018: £113.7m) of dividends were paid to external shareholders and £11.5m (H1 2018: £2.9m) dividends paid to non-controlling interests.

Translation Impact

One of the Group's great strengths is its international reach and balance, with businesses in all major regions. This means the Group generates revenues and costs in a mixture of currencies, with particular exposure to the US dollar, and with minor exposure to the Euro and Chinese Renminbi.

In H1 2019, approximately 62% (H1 2018: 65%) of Group revenue was received in USD or currencies pegged to USD, with 4% (H1 2018: 4%) received in Euro and around 8% (H1 2018: 6%) in Chinese Renminbi.

Similarly, we incurred approximately 54% (H1 2018: 56%) of our costs in USD or currencies pegged to USD, with 2% (H1 2018: 2%) in Euro and around 7% (H1 2018: 4%) in Chinese Renminbi.

Each one cent ($0.01) movement in the USD to GBP exchange rate, has a circa £14m (H1 2018: £12m) impact on annual revenue, and a circa £6m (H1 2018: £5m) impact on annual adjusted operating profit.

Note that for the purposes of testing our debt covenant levels and calculating Informa's leverage, both profit and net debt are translated using the average exchange rate during the relevant period.

The following rates versus GBP were applied during the period:

Free Cash Flow

Cash flow generation remains a key priority and focus for the Group, providing the funds and flexibility for future investment. Our businesses typically convert adjusted operating profit into cash flow at an attractive rate, reflecting the relatively low capital intensity of the Group.

The following table shows the adjusted operating profit reconciled to free cash flow. Free cash flow is a key financial measure of cash generation and represents the cash flow generated by the business before cash flows relating to acquisitions and disposals and their related costs, dividends and any new equity issuance or purchases.

1 Working capital movement excludes movement on restructuring, reorganisation, acquisition and integration accruals

2 Adjusted EBITDA represents adjusted operating profit before interest, tax, and non-cash items including depreciation and amortisation

3 Amounts restated for finalisation of UBM acquisition (see Note 15)

Our focus on cash generation across the Group led to a consistently strong half year cash conversion in H1 2019, with Operating Cash Flow of £415.1m (H1 2018: £183.9m), equating to 95.3% (H1 2018: 62.5%) of Adjusted Operating Profit.

Net capital expenditure was £26.2m (H1 2018: £28.6m), equivalent to 1.8% of H1 2019 revenue (H1 2018 3.0%). We expect full year 2019 capital expenditure to be around 3% of revenue. 

The working capital outflow of £42.2m was £63.3m lower than the outflow in H1 2018, largely associated with inclusion of results from the former UBM business for the full half year period.

The following table reconciles net cash inflow from operating activities, as shown in the consolidated cash flow statement, to free cash flow:

The following table reconciles cash generated by operations, as shown in the consolidated cash flow statement, to operating cash flow shown in the free cash flow table above:

The following table reconciles Free Cash Flow to net funds flow and net debt, with net debt increasing by £164.1m to £2,846.0m during the period.

This included a £19.3m adverse foreign exchange impact primarily due to a strengthening in the US dollar, as well as £329.2m of additional debt relating to the introduction of IFRS 16.

1 Amounts restated for finalisation of UBM acquisition (see Note 15)

Financing and Leverage

Our strategy to retain a robust and flexible financing framework led to further proactive development of our debt facilities in the first half of 2019. On 15 February 2019, this included negotiating a new Revolving Credit Facility, with two tranches: £600m for a 5-year term to February 2024 and £300m for a 3-year term to February 2022.

At 30 June 2019, the Group had £3.5bn of committed facilities, (£3.4bn at 30 June 2018 and £3.6bn at 31 December 2018).

Cash at bank and on hand of £316.9m includes £102.8m from the disposal of the Agribusiness Intelligence Portfolio that completed on 30 June 2019.

Under the private placement loan notes in place at 30 June 2019, the principal financial covenant ratios are a maximum net debt to EBITDA of 3.5 times and a minimum EBITDA to interest cover of 4.0 times, tested semi-annually.

At 30 June 2019, the ratio of net debt to EBITDA was 2.7 times (31 December 2018: 2.9 times), calculated according to our Note Purchase Agreements and using average exchange rates (pre-IFRS16) and including a full year's trading for acquisitions. The ratio of EBITDA to net interest payable was 8.6 times (at 31 December 2018: 9.5 times).

Corporate Development

Net proceeds from acquisitions and disposals were £81.8m (H1 2018: £545.8m net expenditure), with £65.9m expenditure relating to acquisitions (H1 2018: £530.7m), £164.2m (H1 2018 £4.8m) of net proceeds from the disposal of businesses and £16.5m (H1 2018: £19.9m) of cash costs relating to acquisitions integration. 

On 4 January 2019 the Group acquired the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation Pty Ltd (CAPA), for cash consideration of £15.0m (AUD 24.8m), net of cash acquired.  The business forms part of the Informa Markets Division.

The first divestiture under the Progressive Portfolio Management ("PPM") programme completed on 31 January 2019, with the sale of the Life Sciences Media Brands Portfolio.  The consideration was £79.9m, with £67.9m received in cash and £12.0m of deferred consideration. The profit on disposal was £11.2m. This business had previously been disclosed as held for sale in the Consolidated Balance Sheet at 31 December 2018.

The second divestiture under PPM was implemented through a portfolio exchange agreement with IHS Markit. This sees us exchange our sub-scale Agribusiness Intelligence Portfolio within Informa Intelligence for its TMT Research and Intelligence Portfolio, which will become part of Informa Tech. The deal is structured as two separate transactions, with the Agribusiness Intelligence Portfolio sold to IHS Markit for cash consideration of £102.8m, completing on 30 June 2019. The profit on disposal was £37.0m. The purchase of the TMT Research and Intelligence Portfolio is expected to complete on 1 August 2019.

On 15 July 2019 the Group also agreed the divestiture of our wealth management information business, IIS, also part of Informa Intelligence. The consideration is up to $85m, depending on certain conditions, with the transaction expected to complete in Q4 2019.

Pensions

The Group continues to meet all commitments to its pension schemes, which consist of six defined benefit schemes. At 30 June 2019, the Group had a net pension liability of £39.9m (31 December 2018: £33.0m, H1 2018: £13.2m), represented by a pension deficit of £44.7m (31 December 2018: £37.5m, 30 June 2018: £17.9m) and a pension surplus of £4.8m (31 December 2018: 4.5m, 30 June 2018: £4.7m). Gross liabilities were £724.5m at 30 June 2019 (31 December 2018: £679.2m, 30 June 2018: £692.0m).

The net deficit remains manageable and relatively small compared to the size of the Group's balance sheet. All schemes are closed to future accrual and the Group expects to make £5m of employer deficit payments during 2019.

Restatement of 2018 results

The segmental income statement for the 6 months ended 30 June 2018 and for the year ended 31 December 2018 have been reclassified to align with the updated Divisional structure that was launched from 1 January 2019. See Note 15 for further details.

We completed the fair value exercise under IFRS 3 in relation to the 15 June 2018 acquisition of UBM plc. This resulted in profit after tax reducing by £1.3m in the Consolidated Income Statement for the 6 months ended 30 June 2018, reflecting an increase in the acquisition intangible amortisation charge of £1.6m and a deferred tax credit of £0.3m. The balance sheet at 30 June 2018 was updated for the finalisation of these provisional amounts and the cash flow statement was restated for an update to the estimated cash included in the balance sheet at the 15 June 2018 acquisition date.

There was no restatement to the Income Statement for the year ended 31 December 2018 but there was a restatement of the Consolidated Balance sheet at 31 December 2018 for the finalisation of the valuation of the acquisition of UBM plc and for updates to the held for sale balance sheet amounts relating to the Life Sciences business; see Note 15 for further details. 

New accounting standards

The only impact from new accounting standards in H1 2019 is from the adoption from 1 January 2019 of IFRS 16 Leases.

IFRS 16 Leases, replaces the existing leasing standard, IAS 17 Leases. It treats all leases in a consistent way, eliminating the distinction between operating and finance leases, and has required lessees to recognise all leases on the balance sheet, except for low value leases and those with a term of less than 12 months. The most significant effect of the new standard has been the recognition in the balance sheet of right of use assets and lease liabilities for leases previously categorised as operating leases.

The new standard also changes the nature of expenses related to those leases, replacing the straight-line operating lease expense with a depreciation charge for the right of use lease asset (included within operating costs) and an interest expense on the lease liability (included within finance costs).

There are several practical expedients and exemptions available under IFRS 16. The Group has elected to apply the modified retrospective method of implementation where there is no restatement of the comparative period and using the practical expedient where, at the adoption date, right-of-use lease assets are set to equal the lease liabilities. The Group has excluded leases of low value assets and short-term leases, with a duration of less than 12 months from the application of IFRS 16, with payments for these leases continuing to be expensed directly to the Income Statement as operating leases. The major classes of leases impacted by the new standard are property and event space leases.

At 1 January 2019 the adoption of IFRS 16 resulted in the Group recognising right-of-use assets of £292.9m, finance lease receivables of £14.4m and lease liabilities of £343.6m. There is also a reduction of £2.7m for prepaid rental amounts which is netted against the right-of-use assets, a reduction of £44.8m to liabilities for property provisions and deferred rent-free amounts netted against the right of use assets. In addition, a credit to reserves of £5.8m before tax, reflected the excess of finance lease receivable from the sub-leases compared to the right of use assets associated with the head lease.

The estimated impact of IFRS 16 for the year ended 31 December 2019 shows an increase in operating profit of £7.4m reflecting the removal of IAS 17 operating lease expenses of £39.5m and replacing this with IFRS 16 depreciation of £32.1m. Profit before tax decreases by £6.1m, reflecting the estimated IFRS 16 net finance expense of £13.5m, and the tax impact of the change is £1.2m resulting in profit after tax decreasing by £4.9m and a decrease to diluted adjusted earnings per share of 0.4p. See Note 16 for further details of the financial impact of the adoption of IFRS 16.

In the Consolidated Cash Flow statement there is no impact on the total change in cash and cash equivalents. Under IFRS 16 the repayment of lease liabilities is included in financing activities and interest on IFRS 16 leases is shown in operating activities whereas under IAS 17 lease rental payments were in operating activities. The projected impact of IFRS 16 on the totals in the 2019 Consolidated Cash Flow statement is estimated to increase the cash inflow from operations by £39.5m, increase interest paid by £13.5m and increase the repayment of lease liabilities in financing activities by £26.0m.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

Informa's approach to risk management is to ensure that significant risks are identified and understood, managed appropriately, and monitored and reported to the company's governance bodies. 

Informa's risk framework is designed to provide the Board with oversight of the most significant risks faced by the Group. Regular analysis and scanning for emerging risks are embedded in our risk management process and conducted by the Risk Committee. The Risk Committee and Audit Committee report independently to the Board.

The combination of the Informa and UBM businesses continues, and at the 2019 half year we retain focus on how we mitigate integration risk. We continue to recognise Acquisition and Integration risk as a principal risk.

The expansion of the Informa Group brings greater breadth to the business, increasing our exposure to both developing and developed markets. Our increased scale in developing markets is within our risk appetite as there is growth and opportunity in these markets, which is balanced by our expanded business in developed markets. Market risk is managed through our strategy, objectives and regular planning meetings between the Executive Management Team and the Divisions.

During the year:

The risk rating for economic instability was increased to recognise heightened potential impacts of global uncertainty, whilst lowering the likelihood of this impacting Informa due to the increased breadth in our portfolio and our internal processes for managing exposures to specific markets.

The risk of inability to attract and retain key talent was reviewed in Q1 2019 and it was concluded that Informa's increased scale and strength of brand makes it easier to weather the impact of attrition and find suitable internal, or hire external, replacements. The principal risk is restated to "Inability to retain key talent".

We have strengthened our controls for managing data loss and cyber breach and have decreased the net risk rating to reflect this.

The impact rating for Reliance on key counterparties was raised to recognise financial exposure to key counterparties, whilst the likelihood of this higher impact was lowered because of the strategies and controls we employ for managing counterparty risk.

At Half Year 2019, the Group recognises 12 principal risks which have the potential to cause the most significant impact to Informa's strategic objectives, performance, future prospects and reputation.

The 12 principal risks and Uncertainties affecting the business activities of the group were identified on pages 66-72 of the 2018 Annual Report (available on the Company's website at www.informa.com). These risks are summarised below (not in order of magnitude):

·; Economic instability

·; Market risk

·; Acquisition and integration risk

·; Ineffective change management

·; Reliance on key counterparties

·; Technology failure

·; Data loss and cyber breach

·; Inability to retain key talent

·; Health and safety incident

·; Major incident

·; Inadequate regulatory compliance

·; Privacy regulation risk

Going concern

The Directors confirm that, after making an assessment, they have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

To make the assessment, each principal risk was evaluated for the estimated financial impacts that could occur in a severe but plausible scenario, given the implemented mitigating controls. The three largest risks in terms of their financial impacts were then modelled against the latest business plan and forecasts. This process supports the view that for the period up to 31 December 2020, Informa is expected to be able to operate within the level of its current financing and meet its covenant requirements.

Cautionary Statements

This interim management report contains certain forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and actual results and events could differ materially from those currently being anticipated. The terms 'expect', 'should be', 'will be' and similar expressions (or their negative) identify forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause future outcomes to differ from those foreseen in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions and business conditions in Informa's markets; exchange rate fluctuations, customers' acceptance of its products and services; the actions of competitors; legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments; changes in law and legal interpretation affecting Informa's intellectual property rights and internet communications; and the impact of technological change.

Past performance should not be taken as an indication or guarantee of future results, and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding future performance. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this interim management report and are based on numerous assumptions regarding Informa's present and future business strategies and the environment in which Informa will operate in the future. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this document to reflect any change in the Group's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based after the date of this announcement or to update or keep current any other information contained in this interim management report.

Nothing in this interim management report should be construed as a profit forecast. All persons, wherever located, should consult any additional disclosures that Informa may make in any regulatory announcements or documents which it publishes. This announcement does not constitute an invitation to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any Informa PLC shares, in the UK, or in the US, or under the US Securities Act 1933 or in any other jurisdiction.

Board of Directors

The Directors of Informa plc are listed in the 2018 Annual Report and Accounts. Since publication, Greg Lock has retired from the Board, having served a term as Deputy Chairman for the period of the AIP to ensure a smooth transfer and transition. In addition, Cindy Rose chose not to seek re-election at the 2019 AGM after serving a full term as Non-Executive Director and David Wei also chose not to seek re-election to focus on his other business interests. Gill Whitehead will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Member of the Audit Committee from 1 August 2019. Biographical details for the current Directors can be found on the Company's website: www.informa.com. 

Responsibility Statement

We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

a) the consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 'Interim Financial Reporting' as adopted by the European Union;

b) the consolidated interim financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the issuer, or the undertakings included in the consolidation as a whole as required by DTR 4.2.4R;

c) the interim management report includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.7R, namely;

i. an indication of important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and their impact on the consolidated interim financial statements; and

ii. a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the financial year.

d) the interim management report includes, as required by DTR 4.2.8, a fair review of material related-party transactions that have taken place in the first six months of the financial year and any material changes in the related-party transactions described in the 2018 Annual Report; and

Approved by the Board on 23 July 2019 and signed on its behalf by:

Stephen A. Carter Gareth Wright

Chief Executive Group Finance Director

Independent Review Report to Informa PLC

We have been engaged by the company to review the Condensed set of Financial Statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2019 which comprises the Condensed Consolidated Income Statement, the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity, the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, the Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement, and related notes 1 to 19. We have read the other information contained in the half-yearly financial report and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the information in the Condensed set of Consolidated Financial Statements.

This report is made solely to the company in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410 "Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity" issued by the Financial Reporting Council. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company those matters we are required to state to it in an independent review report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company, for our review work, for this report, or for the conclusions we have formed.

Directors' responsibilities

The half-yearly financial report is the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the Directors. The Directors are responsible for preparing the half-yearly financial report in accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.

As disclosed in Note 1, the annual financial statements of the Group are prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union. The condensed set of financial statements included in this half-yearly financial report has been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 "Interim Financial Reporting" as adopted by the European Union.

Our responsibility

Our responsibility is to express to the Company a conclusion on the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report based on our review.

Scope of review

We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410 "Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity" issued by the Financial Reporting Council for use in the United Kingdom. A review of interim financial information consists of making inquiries, primarily of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters, and applying analytical and other review procedures. A review is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) and consequently does not enable us to obtain assurance that we would become aware of all significant matters that might be identified in an audit. Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion.

Conclusion

Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2019 is not prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 as adopted by the European Union and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.

Deloitte LLP

Statutory Auditor

London, UK

23 July 2019

Condensed Consolidated Income Statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2019

All results relate to continuing operations. Adjusting items are detailed in Note 4.

The notes on pages 32 to 56 are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the six months ended 30 June 2019

The notes on pages 32 to 56 are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes In Equity

For the six months ended 30 June 2019 (unaudited)

1 Total attributable to equity holders of the parent,

The notes on pages 32 to 56 are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity (Continued)

For the six months ended 30 June 2018 (unaudited and restated)

1 Total attributable to equity holders of the parent

2 Restatement see Note 15

The notes on pages 32 to 56 are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity (Continued)

For the twelve months ended 31 December 2018 (audited and restated)

1 Total attributable to equity holders of the parent2 Restatement see Note 15

The notes on pages 32 to 56 are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet

Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2019