Final Results

Holders Technology PLC 19 February 2008 Holders Technology plc Providers of specialised materials, equipment and services to the electronics industry Audited results for the year ended 30 November 2007 Holders Technology plc announces its audited results for the year ended 30 November 2007. 2007 was a year of solid progress for the group, with improved profitability and strong cash flow. • Operating profit grew 20% to £1.2m • Revenue was steady at £18.9m • £2.0m cash generated from operations • Indian Joint Venture established • Proposed 8.3% increase in final dividend to 3.25p Chairman's statement The improved trading performance achieved in the first half of the year was matched in the second half of the year leading to a positive out turn for the year to 30 November 2007. Given the successful trading in the year, your board considers it appropriate to recommend a final dividend of 3.25p (2006 3.00p). Operating profit of £1.2m (2006: £1.0m) combined with tight control of working capital led to £2.0m (2006: £0.6m) of cash being generated from operations, before tax payments. The group has maintained a strong balance sheet, with net cash of £1.1m at the end of the year. The UK operations traded strongly while our German and Dutch operations broadly held their ground during a period which saw worldwide rises in the price of copper and aluminium foils, product lines of particular importance to our German subsidiary. The continuing marked contraction of the Scandinavian PCB market inevitably impacted adversely on our Swedish subsidiary, but strict control of overheads enabled the company to breakeven at operating profit level and to hold the pre tax loss to an immaterial amount. Our Indian joint venture, which commenced trading only in April 2007, achieved pre tax breakeven albeit on modest levels of turnover. We believe that the Indian market has excellent potential to grow over the medium term and that our entry into the market at this stage makes us well placed to benefit from the anticipated growth of this market in future years. The Chinese PCB industry continues to expand and is now the world's premier PCB producer. We will continue our investment programme to address this market opportunity. Taken together, our Chinese activities achieved breakeven at the pre tax level in the year. We are appraising opportunities further to develop the company's business in areas complementary to our existing core activity of supplying the PCB industry. A number of opportunities have been examined, but as yet we have been unable to identify a suitable proposition available on terms which we consider attractive to shareholders. The continuing strength of our balance sheet coupled with our strong banking relationships would enable us to complete suitable transactions and it is now clear that the range of possible opportunities both justifies and requires a greater level of management commitment. To this end Victoria Blaisdell, who has served as the Group's IT Director for the past three years, has been appointed to the Company's board as Corporate Development Director in order to enable us to devote more resource to this process. The move to restructure our operations in order to devolve responsibility to the operating subsidiaries has been successfully completed and on behalf of the board I would like to thank staff for their efforts during the year, sometimes in trying circumstances. There are clear signs that economic activity in Europe is weakening and we are basing our plans on the assumption that demand in our main markets in 2008 will be lower than in 2007. We will seek rigorously to contain our costs so as to minimise the impact of this expected lower level of activity on our profitability while continuing to invest in our young subsidiaries in the growth economies of India and China and seeking to make selective, earnings enhancing acquisitions. If approved by shareholders at the AGM, we will pay the dividend on 20 May 2008 to shareholders on the register on 25 April 2008. R W Weinreich Chairman and Chief Executive 18 February 2008 Consolidated income statement for the year ended 30 November 2007 Note 2007 2006 £'000 £'000 Continuing operations Revenue 18,853 18,822 Cost of sales (13,866) (13,891) Gross profit 4,987 4,931 Distribution costs (463) (446) Administrative expenses (3,398) (3,561) Deferred consideration arising on sale of former subsidiary - 39 Other operating income 76 38 Operating profit 1,202 1,001 Finance income 27 9 Finance expenses (23) (26) Share of loss of associate - (25) Profit before taxation 1,206 959 Taxation 2 (454) (390) Profit after taxation 752 569 Attributable to: Equity shareholders of the company 744 591 Minority interests - equity 8 (22) Profit for the financial year 752 569 Total and continuing Basic earnings per share 4 17.97p 14.24p Diluted earnings per share 4 17.78p 14.24p Consolidated balance sheet at 30 November 2007 Note 2007 2006 £'000 £'000 Assets Non-current assets Goodwill 397 413 Property, plant and equipment 622 506 Investments in subsidiaries - - Investment in joint venture - - Investments in associates 28 119 1,047 1,038 Current assets Inventories 2,645 3,153 Trade and other receivables 2,588 2,774 Current tax - 35 Deferred tax 49 35 Cash and cash equivalents 1,275 822 6,557 6,819 Liabilities Current liabilities Trade and other payables (1,399) (1,678) Borrowings (174) (406) Current tax (275) (260) (1,848) (2,344) Net current assets 4,709 4,475 Non-current liabilities Borrowings - (4) Retirement benefit liability (139) (94) Deferred consideration (104) (104) (243) (202) 5,513 5,311 Shareholders' equity Share capital 3 416 416 Share premium account 3 1,531 1,531 Capital redemption reserve 3 1 1 Retained earnings 3 3,431 3,285 Cumulative translation adjustment 3 37 (84) Equity attributable to the equity shareholders 5,416 5,149 Minority interests in equity 3 97 162 5,513 5,311 Consolidated cash flow statement for the year ended 30 November 2007 2007 2006 £'000 £'000 Cash flows from operating activities Operating profit 1,202 1,001 Share-based payment charge 12 8 Depreciation 288 208 Reduction in impairment re associate - (35) Currency translation 102 (79) Loss on sale of property, plant and equipment 1 1 (Increase)/decrease in inventories 508 (529) (Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables 231 (29) (Increase)/decrease in trade and other payables (362) 76 Cash generated from operations 1,982 622 Corporation tax (paid)/refunded (418) (96) Net cash generated from operations 1,564 526 Cash flows from investing activities Proceeds from disposal of investment in associate 119 - Increase in investment in existing subsidiary - (54) Investment in new subsidiary - - Investment in joint venture - - Purchase of property, plant and equipment (403) (244) Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 15 29 Income from investments - - Interest received 27 9 Net cash generated/(used) in investing activities (242) (260) Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from issue of shares - 8 Purchase of treasury shares (398) - Interest paid (23) (26) Equity dividends paid (212) (197) Finance lease principal payments (6) (16) Net cash used in financing activities (639) (231) Net change in cash and cash equivalents 683 35 Cash and cash equivalents at start of period 418 383 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 1,101 418 Notes 1. Basis of preparation The group financial statements have been prepared in accordance with EU endorsed International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC) interpretations and with those parts of the Companies Act 1985 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. All accounting standards and interpretations issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee effective at the time of preparing these financial statements have been applied. 2. Taxation 2007 2006 £'000 £'000 Analysis of the charge in the period Current tax - Current period 381 367 - Adjustments in respect of prior periods 87 46 468 413 Deferred tax (14) (23) Total tax 454 390 Tax reconciliation The tax for the period is higher (2006: higher) than the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK (30%). The differences are explained below: 2007 2006 £'000 £'000 Profit before taxation 1,206 959 Profit before taxation multiplied by rate of corporation tax in the UK of 30% (2006: 30%) 362 288 Effects of: Differences between capital allowances and depreciation (10) (12) Amounts not deductible for taxation purposes - 70 Adjustments in respect of prior years 87 46 Taxation losses 15 13 Different overseas tax rates - (15) Taxation 454 390 3. Statement of changes in shareholders' equity Group Capital Cumulative Share Share redemption translation Retained Shareholders' Minority Total capital premium reserve adjustment earnings Equity interest equity £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Balance at 1 December 414 1,525 1 - 2,883 4,823 247 5,070 2005 Profit/(loss) for the - - - - 591 591 (22) 569 period Dividends - - - - (197) (197) - (197) Currency translation - - - (84) - (84) (31) (115) differences Shares issued during the 2 6 - - - 8 - 8 period Share-based payment - - - - 8 8 - 8 credit Minority interest - - - - - - (49) (49) acquired Investments by minority - - - - - - 17 17 interest Balance at 30 November 416 1,531 1 (84) 3,285 5,149 162 5,311 2006 Profit/(loss) for the - - - - 744 744 8 752 period Dividends - - - - (212) (212) - (212) Purchase of treasury - - - - (398) (398) - (398) shares Currency translation - - - 121 - 121 (8) 113 differences Share-based payment - - - - 12 12 - 12 credit Transfer in respect of - - - - - - (49) (49) associates Balance at 30 November 416 1,531 1 37 3,431 5,416 113 5,529 2007 4. The directors have recommended a final dividend of 3.25p (2006: 3.00p) per share payable on 20 May 2008 to shareholders on the register at close of business on 25 April 2008. The total dividend for the year, including the interim dividend of 2.1p (2006: 2.0p) per share paid on 18 September 2007, amounts to £215,000 (2006: £208,000), which is equivalent to 5.35p (2006: 5.00p) per share. 5. The basic earnings per share are based on the profit for the financial year of £744,000 (2006: £591,000) and on ordinary shares 4,140,085 (2006: 4,149,236), the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year. Diluted earnings per share are based on 4,183,680 ordinary shares (2006: 4,149,236), being the weighted average number of ordinary shares after an adjustment of 43,595 shares (2006: nil) in relation to share options. 6. This preliminary statement which has been approved by the Board on 18 February 2008 is not the Company's statutory accounts. The statutory accounts for each of the two years to 30 November 2006 and 30 November 2007 received audit reports, which were unqualified and did not contain statements under section 237 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985. The 2006 accounts have been filed with the Registrar of Companies but the 2007 accounts are not yet filed. ENDS For further information, contact: Mr Rudi Weinreich, Chairman and Chief Executive, Holders Technology plc, on 020 8731 4336 Mr Jim Shawyer, Group Finance Director, Holders Technology plc, On 020 8731 4336 Mr John Wakefield, Director, Corporate Finance, Blue Oar Securities Plc, on 0117 933 0020. Website www.holderstechnology.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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