Final Results

Anglo Pacific Group PLC 11 April 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11 APRIL 2003 ANGLO PACIFIC GROUP PLC PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2002 HIGHLIGHTS • Total dividends of 1.75p net per share • Group profits before tax up by 46% to £5,191,000 (£3,545,000) • Australian coal royalty receipts up by 47% to £5,802,000 (£3,942,000) • Earnings up by 45% to 4.09p per share (2.83p) • Cash of £3.8M • Substantial interests in other coal, gold and PGM projects Commenting on the results Anglo Pacific's Chairman, Peter Boycott, said: 'It is a pleasure to report record results and the payment of substantial dividends for the last half year. With the continued expansion of our Canadian coal interests and the positive outlook for the various gold and PGM projects, the Board looks forward with confidence to further development of its strategic interests in these sectors' For further information please call: Jonathan Rooper, CardewChancery Tel: 020 7930 0777 Anglo Pacific Group PLC Preliminary Results 2002 CHAIRMAN'S REVIEW RESULTS Following record royalty receipts from our Australian coal mining interests, Group profits before tax increased by 46% to £5,191,000 compared to £3,545,000 for the previous year. Group turnover on continuing businesses increased by 47% to £5,802,000 (2001:£3,942,000). The profit after tax and minority interests was £3,560,000 (2001:£2,459,000), an increase of 45%. Following the capital reduction of the Company's shares from 10p to 2p per share on 2nd August 2002, the Company is able to pay dividends on profits arising after 30th June 2002. The Company paid an interim dividend of 1.1p net per share on 14th January 2003. The Board now proposes to pay to shareholders at the close of business on 11th July 2003, for payment on 31st July 2003, a further dividend of 0.65p net per share. This makes a total of 1.75p net per share in respect of the six months period ended 31st December 2002. In addition to its coal mining interests independently valued at A$81.4M the Company now has a number of operational interests and quoted stakes in Gold and Platinum Group Metals ('PGM') projects totalling a further £2,910,000 at cost with a mid-market value at 31st December 2002 of £3,037,000. The Group held cash of £3.8M on deposit at the year-end. OPERATIONAL REVIEW COAL ENERGY INTERESTS These comprise our coal royalty interests in Queensland, Australia and various coal and coal bed methane assets in British Columbia, Canada. COAL ROYALTIES In Australia, coal royalty receipts from the Kestrel and Crinum mines, operated by Rio Tinto and BHP respectively, increased by 47% to £5,802,000 (2001: £3,942,000). The independent valuation of these interests at the year-end was A$81.4M, based on the net present value of the pre-tax cashflow discounted at a rate of 7%. The change in the valuation compared to last year has been adjusted to revaluation reserve. COAL DEPOSITS Your Company continues to evaluate and expand its Canadian coal deposits in British Columbia with its 50% holding in the Groundhog and Peace River projects. The outlook for developing these resources has improved during the year due to increased energy prices and the more positive political climate in British Columbia. COAL BED METHANE During the year your Company acquired a 25% interest in Gosfield which owns a substantial share of the Merritt coal and coal bed methane project in British Columbia. Interest in this form of energy has increased sharply in recent months and your Company is actively looking for partners to take this project forward. GOLD AND PLATINUM GROUP METALS Your Company has invested nearly £3M in gold and platinum projects in North America and Australia. Press releases relating to some of these projects can be found, together with other information, on the Company's website www.anglopacificgroup.com. The Company's strategy is to acquire projects that expect to yield dividend and royalty cashflow as well as substantial share appreciation in the next two to five years. The Company has made a number of strategic mining acquisitions and has announced two substantial stakes: - • The Company has a 6.4% stake in Kirkland Lake Gold ('KLG') in Northern Ontario, Canada. KLG has restarted the Macassa mine and also owns the four adjacent former producing mines that together have produced 22 million ounces of gold over a seventy year period. KLG continues to discover gold at grades in excess of 16 grams per ton and expects to produce circa 100,000 ounces of gold in fiscal 2004. • Your Company has a 10.6% stake in Platinum Australia Ltd ('PLA') which owns the Panton project in the Kimberley region of North West Australia where a mine producing PGMs is expected to start up within the next twelve months. Lonmin is a major shareholder in this project. MARBLE During the year Ledmore Marble was sold for £275,000 which resulted in a profit of £75,000 before writing off inter-company loans of £144,000. TALC Your Board continues to extend and improve its talc interests in Shetland in order to sell or find a joint venture partner for the project. BOARD APPOINTMENTS On 3rd March 2003 Mr Michael Chanarin resigned to pursue his other business interests. The Board thanks him for all his hard work and efforts on behalf of the Company during his time as a Director. We all wish him well in his future career. I welcome to the Board Dr John Whellock and Mr Anthony Yadgaroff who were appointed non-executive Directors on 3rd March 2003. I also wish to thank all our staff and my fellow Directors for their continued application and hard work in what has been a busy and very positive year of change for the Group. STRATEGY The Board intends to continue paying a proportion of the coal royalty as dividends to shareholders. In addition we will pursue an active mining participation strategy using the balance of our cashflow for the Gold and PGM sectors in Australia and North America. This will involve:- • Other royalty and profit sharing cashflows • Strategic acquisitions in mining operations that have significant discovery or increased production potential • Development of the Company's Canadian coal deposits and coal bed methane interests by negotiating carried interests at the appropriate time to achieve further royalty cashflows • Utilisation of circa 40p per share of tax losses available to the Group • Sale or joint venture of the talc interests In pursuing these strategies and to strengthen the mining, operational and technical skills available to the Board, the Board has recently appointed an advisory panel to assist it in its analysis of mining projects. Details of the three advisers are set out in the Directors' Report. ATTRIBUTABLE ASSETS In order for shareholders to more clearly appreciate the potential commercial value of your Company's interests, the latest attributable asset position of your Company's acquisitions in key coal, gold and PGM projects around the world is summarised below. The guideline figures are estimated in proportion to the holding that your Company has in each project based on latest published data:- Australian Coal Royalty 78 M tons coal Canadian Groundhog, Peace River & Merritt 426 M tons coal Canadian Coal Bed Methane 4.4 Billion cu ft cbm Canadian Gold at Kirkland & Oxford Lake 186 K ozs gold Australian Platinum at Panton (PLA) 276 K ozs pgms Shareholders are again referred to the Company's website for further information on this and the Company's other operational interests. OUTLOOK With the current positive outlook for gold and PGMs and the Company's continuing steady coal royalty cashflows, the Board is optimistic about the prospects for the year ahead. Finally I wish to thank shareholders for their continued support. P.M. BOYCOTT Chairman 11th April 2003 ANGLO PACIFIC GROUP PLC CONSOLIDATED PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2002 2002 2001 £000's £000's Turnover Continuing operations 5,802 3,942 Discontinued operations 142 183 ____ ____ 5,944 4,125 ____ ____ Cost of sales Continuing operations - - Discontinued operations (169) (210) ____ ____ (169) (210) ____ ____ Gross profit 5,775 3,915 ____ ____ Continuing operations Administrative expenses (733) (574) Profit on disposal of investments 7 92 Other operating income 120 100 ____ ____ Operating profit from continuing operations 5,196 3,560 ____ ____ Discontinued operations Administrative expenses (57) (156) ____ ____ Operating (loss) from discontinued operations (84) (183) ____ ____ Total operating profit 5,112 3,377 Profit on disposal of subsidiaries 75 229 Interest received 148 38 Write down of assets (144) (99) ____ _____ Profit on ordinary activities before tax 5,191 3,545 Taxation on ordinary activities (1,631) (1,118) ____ _____ Profit for the financial year 3,560 2,427 Minority Interests - 32 Dividends: Interim (957) - Final (568) - ____ _____ Retained profit for the financial year 2,035 2,459 ====== ======= Earnings per ordinary share 4.09p 2.83p Diluted earnings per ordinary share 4.03p 2.76p ====== ======= STATEMENT OF TOTAL RECOGNISED 2002 2001 GAINS AND LOSSES £000's £000's Retained profit for the financial year 2,035 2,459 Unrealised revaluation of Australian royalty interests (2,274) 4,156 Currency translation surplus/(loss) on foreign currency investments 24 (54) ____ _____ (215) 6,561 ====== ======= ANGLO PACIFIC GROUP PLC CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2002 2002 2001 £000's £000's £000's £000's Fixed assets Tangible assets 839 1,009 Investments 31,623 30,990 _____ _____ 32,462 31,999 Current assets Stocks - 121 Debtors 1,091 980 Cash at bank and in hand 3,766 2,212 _____ _____ 4,857 3,313 Current liabilities Creditors - amount falling due within one year (2,473) (535) ____ ____ Net current assets 2,384 2,778 _____ _____ Total assets less current liabilities 34,846 34,777 Long term liabilities Provisions for liabilities and charges (411) (217) _____ _____ 34,435 34,560 ======= ======= Capital and reserves Called up share capital 1,749 8,696 Share premium account 420 2,581 Capital redemption reserve - 122 Revaluation reserve 27,000 29,274 Foreign currency translation reserve 81 57 Special reserve 632 - Profit and loss account surplus/(deficit) 4,553 (6,170) _____ _____ Equity shareholders' funds 34,435 34,560 ======= ====== ANGLO PACIFIC GROUP PLC CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2002 2002 2001 £000's £000's £000's £000's Net cash inflow from operating 5,029 3,865 activities Returns on investments and servicing of finance Interest received 148 49 Interest paid - (10) Interest paid on finance leases - (1) _____ _____ Net cash inflow from returns on investments and servicing of finance 148 38 Taxation Overseas tax paid (995) (1,199) UK Income tax - - _____ _____ (995) (1,199) Capital expenditure and financial investment Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets (85) (32) Receipts from sales of tangible fixed assets - 37 Sale of equity investments 76 106 Purchase of equity investments (2,977) (2) _____ _____ Net cash (outflow)/inflow from capital expenditure and financial investment (2,986) 109 Acquisitions and disposals Disposal of subsidiaries (net of expenses) 268 56 _____ _____ Net cash inflow before financing 1,464 2,869 Financing Issue of ordinary share capital 90 - Capital element of finance lease - (2) repayments Repayment of borrowings - (850) _____ _____ Net cash inflow/(outflow) from 90 (852) financing _____ _____ Increase in cash 1,554 2,017 _____ _____ Notes 1. Earnings per ordinary share is calculated on the Group's profit after tax of £3,560,000 (2001 - £2,459,000) and the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year of 86,997,202 (2001 - 86,962,955). The diluted earnings per ordinary share is calculated on a profit after tax of £3,584,000 and 88,923,202 shares. 2. The above figures do not constitute full accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The figures for the year ended 31st December 2001 constitute abridged accounts extracted from the published accounts for the year which have been filed with the Registrar of Companies and on which the auditors' report was unqualified. The audit opinion on the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2002 has not yet been signed. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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