28 Apr 2015 07:00
AIM: SHRE
Share plc
("Share" or "the Group")
Trading Update and Market Share Results for Q1 2015
Share plc (AIM: SHRE), which operates The Share Centre Limited, one of the leading independent UK stockbrokers, today provides an update on trading for the first quarter of 2015, including its Q1 performance against its peers (*), as independently measured by ComPeer Limited.
Highlights
· Trading in Q1 in line with expectations
· Market share against peers increased to 7.48% in Q1 against 7.30% in the same period last year
· Assets held on behalf of customers increased by 8% to £2.7bn in Q1
· Cash held on behalf of customers rose by 27% over Q1 2014
Trading Update
Trading in the first quarter was in line with expectations. As anticipated, in the run up to the General Election and against a backdrop of increased uncertainty, investor activity was subdued especially against a strong first quarter in 2014, with Q1 revenues showing an 11% decrease year on year. This represented a stronger performance than the collective peer group, whose revenues decreased by 13% in Q1, and Share has gained market share against its peer group, with its share increasing to 7.48% in Q1 from 7.30% in the same period last year. Specifically, as peers continue to re-align models from trail commission and other revenues to fees, as well as seeing a similar drop in dealing activity, they have seen other income streams fall. It is worth noting that many peers now have a value related fee structure. We believe that this penalises investors and is unsustainable in the longer term, but does deliver revenue increases just as a function of rising market values.
Assets held on behalf of customers increased by 8% to £2.7bn over the first quarter. This compared to a rise of nearly 4% in the FTSE All Share index over the same period and demonstrates the underlying strength of customer interaction. Cash inflow from customers ahead of the end of the tax year was strong, with cash held on behalf of customers at the end of Q1 2015 up 27% compared to the prior year.
On 8 April 2015, the Share Centre started to provide certificated dealing services to customers introduced to it by Barclays Stockbrokers. As reported on 4 March 2015, this is expected to add approximately 5% to Share's revenues in 2015 and followed the signing of a major three year contract with Barclays Stockbrokers.
Performance against Peer Group in Q1
As shown below, Share's market share of peer group revenues for the first quarter was 7.48%, up from 7.30% in Q1 2014. This headline measure includes our commission, fees and interest. Excluding interest, our market share also showed growth in the first quarter rising to 8.35%, up from 8.23% in Q1 2014.
Quarter | Q1 15 | Q4 14 | Q3 14 | Q2 14 | Q1 14 | Q4 13 | Q3 13 |
Market Share | 7.48% | 7.61% | 7.62% | 8.15% | 7.30% | 7.20% | 7.33% |
Quarter | Q2 13 | Q1 13 | Q4 12 | Q3 12 | Q2 12 | Q1 12 | Q4 11 |
Market Share | 6.95% | 7.19% | 7.23% | 6.88% | 6.69% | 6.46% | 6.49% |
Quarterly market share data: Source - ComPeer Limited
* Benchmarked revenue peer group comprises: Alliance Trust Savings, Barclays Stockbrokers, Equiniti, Halifax Sharedealing, HSBC Stockbrokers, Saga Personal Finance, Selftrade and TD Direct Investing
For further information please contact:
Share plc
Gavin Oldham - Chairman 01296 439 100 / 07767 337 696
Richard Stone - Chief Executive 01296 439 270 / 07919 220 599
Mike Birkett - Finance Director 01296 439 479
Stephanie Reynolds - PR Manager 01296 439 256
Cenkos Securities plc (Nominated Adviser)
Stephen Keys / Ivonne Cantu / Mark Connelly 020 7397 8900
KTZ Communications (Financial Public Relations)
Katie Tzouliadis 020 3178 6378
Notes for Editors:
Share plc is the parent holding company of The Share Centre Limited and Sharefunds Limited and its shares are traded on AIM. The Share Centre started trading in 1991 and provides a range of account-based services to enable investors to share in the wealth of the stock market. These include share accounts, ISAs, CTF accounts and SIPPs, all with the benefit of investment advice, and dealing in a wide range of investments. Services available to corporate clients include share plan administration and 'white-label' dealing platforms.
For more details contact 0800 800 008, or visit www.shareplc.com or www.share.com
Risk Warning
This document is not intended to constitute an offer or agreement to buy or sell investments and does not constitute a personal recommendation. The investments and services referred to in this document may not be suitable for every investor and if in doubt independent financial advice should be sought. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from any information in this document subject to the rules of the Financial Conduct Authority or the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Share prices, values and income can go down as well as up and investors may get back less than their initial investment. The Share Centre is a member of the London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 146768. Sharefunds is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 227807.