Final Results

MITIE GROUP PLC 19 July 1999 MITIE Group PLC PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 1999 TENTH YEAR OF 30% PROFIT GROWTH * Pre-tax profit up 30.6% to £14.5m (1998 - £11.1m) * Turnover up 11.9% to £264.4m (1998 - £236.3m) * Total dividend per share up 28% to 1.6p (1998 - 1.25p) * Earnings per share up 27.5% to 6.5p (1998 - 5.1p) * Margins improved in both divisions David Telling, Chairman, reports 'This is the tenth successive year that we have achieved 30% profit growth. We are determined to continue to grow by being the best in our business. The current year has started well.' Notes: MITIE: Management Incentive Through Investment Equity. ACTIVITY: MITIE Group provides Support and Building Services to the owners and occupiers of commercial and industrial premises. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: On 19 July 1999 David Telling Chairman, MITIE Group PLC John Urquhart PR & Marketing, MITIE Group PLC at Merrill Lynch International 0171 772 1000/2583 Subsequently - MITIE Group PLC, Head Office 01934 862006 EXTRACTS FROM CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT Financial Overview I am pleased to be able to report profit growth in excess of 30% for the tenth successive year. Pre tax profit has increased from £11.1m to £14.5m, an increase of 30.6%. Turnover increased from £236m to £264m, an increase of 11.9%. Both divisions increased their margins. Earnings per share are up from 5.1p to 6.5p, an increase of 27.5%. We are proposing a final dividend of 0.9p, making a total of 1.6p (1998: 1.25p), an increase of 28% and the dividend is covered four times. New Companies We have made two acquisitions during the year. In my Interim Report I referred to the purchase of HAT Property Services from the receiver. That has now been integrated into our own Property Services discipline. In February 1999 we acquired 63% of The Lindsay Group Ltd, a well- established industrial painting company based in Glasgow. In accordance with the ethos of MITIE the remaining 37% of the equity remains with the Directors of the company to be earned out in the future. Since I last reported to you we have started two further Air Conditioning companies and two Security companies. In addition we have added start-up companies to our existing disciplines to extend our geographical cover. During the year we established MITIE Catering Ltd in response to our clients' requests for a more comprehensive service range. Lastly, we have diversified our Access business by a major move into Powered Access. We already have four depots up and running with a fleet currently in excess of 200 machines. These companies have further increased our capability to provide a broad range of Support and Building Services to major companies and government departments on a national basis. Segmental Analysis Activity Turnover Turnover Pre-Tax Pre-Tax Pre-Tax Pre-Tax £'000 £'000 Profit Profit Profit Profit 1999 1998 £'000 £'000 Margin Margin 1999 1998 % 1999 % 1998 Building 148,132 136,519 7,693 6,309 5.2 4.6 Services Support 116,323 99,774 6,815 4,791 5.9 4.8 Services 264,455 236,293 14,508 11,100 5.5 4.7 Divisional Reports Building Services The Building Services Division continues to perform satisfactorily. It has expanded both by organic growth and through the two acquisitions referred to earlier. The Division now consists of Engineering Services, Property Services, Access and MITIE Lindsay Ltd. The largest of these is the mechanical and electrical Engineering Services discipline which has had another successful year. It has again increased its margin, albeit on a reduced turnover. This was partly through being more selective in the work it accepted but more so because of the unusually high number of completions in the second half of the last financial year. Major contracts have been won for BT, Daewoo, the Natural History Museum, the Scouting Association, Manchester and Bristol Universities, Medeva Pharma Ltd, the DHSS and the Rank Organisation. Many of these are repeat orders and many also involve other MITIE Group companies introduced to the client. During the year we brought HAT Property Services into our Property Services discipline. This has made a reasonable contribution in its first year, despite the disruption and costs of integration. Three new regional contracts have been awarded by Post Office Property Holdings and we have welcomed Scottish Homes, Surrey University, Nokia and Droitwich Spa to our expanding client list. We are particularly pleased with the levels of repeat business we are getting from such blue chip companies as BT, Orange, Rolls Royce, Budweiser, the Scottish Office and Scottish Courage. The Access discipline continues to implement its strategy of becoming a major national access provider. It has increased the product range available to customers of MITIE Generation Ltd including a unique and patented aluminium span tower. MITIE Powered Access Ltd was launched in January and now operates from four locations. It will continue to establish a national network and has made significant penetration of the market in the first few months of trading. Among the major contracts won by MITIE Access Ltd was that for covering the archaeological excavations on the site of Merrill Lynch's new regional headquarters in the City. We are continuing to make significant investment in this discipline as we believe it has considerable potential. Our latest acquisition in February, The Lindsay Group Ltd, has quickly been assimilated into the fold and now trades as MITIE Lindsay Ltd. It has received Five Star safety awards for its work at Faslane, Rosyth, Devonport and at its Glasgow headquarters. The company has invested in an environmentally friendly and highly efficient system for use in removing paints and other coatings from steelwork, in both the marine and industrial sectors. The company has completed its first ever turnkey contract for the provision of all scaffolding, containment, ventilation, blasting and painting for the submarine HMS Superb and has won and commenced work on HMS Ark Royal. Support Services The Support Services Division has had a very good year. This reflects the efforts of the management team to improve both the quality of the service and the margin at job level. There have been many notable contract awards during the year, though the full effect of the contribution of several of these will not be felt until the year 1999/2000. Engineering Maintenance has started new contracts with Microsoft, Nokia, Xerox, Dell and Birmingham Cable, as well as successfully retaining the national maintenance contract with Orange. Since I last reported, Cleaning has won major contracts with BP Research at Sunbury, the Contributions Agency and with the branch networks of Yorkshire Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland. Each of these contracts has a value in excess of £500,000 per annum and all of them are for three years or more. The existing contract with British Aerospace was renegotiated for a further five year term with the addition of three new sites. The cleaning contract for Wentworth Golf Club was also secured and one previously reported, The Palace of Westminster, has been started. MITIE Managed Services Ltd won a further contract with Invensys and commenced that with Yorkshire Electricity. It has proved effective in maximising the sales and operational management of other MITIE companies in major contracts through partnering with Cleaning and Engineering Maintenance as well as with our newly established catering and security companies. The outlook for growth remains bright, particularly as the trend for outsourcing continues. The National Audit Office reported that the Prime Project, pioneered by Trillium, on which I reported last year and in which MITIE companies are substantially involved, 'is likely to provide better value for money for the Department of Social Security than continuing with their present arrangements.' The Inland Revenue is now likely to embark on a similar project and we are hopeful that we will once again be in partnership with the successful PFI consortium as a service provider. Finally I am proud to report that MITIE Cleaning (South East) Ltd has won two more coveted Golden Service Awards for its high quality service at Hampton Court Palace and Sizewell B Power Station. The contrast between the sites provides ample proof of the versatility of our management team. Quality We are enjoying the challenge of growing into a medium sized company while retaining the zest and initiative that has served us and our shareholders so well up to now. We are continuing to drive the cross-selling initiative and have installed a new sales database. With the divisional Managing Directors, I held a total of 17 roadshows all over the country delivering the quality message to all staff as I believe passionately that our path to continued growth lies in providing the best possible service to our clients and this will be achieved only by dedicated and committed people who have a stake in the business. Conclusion The current year has started well with buoyant trading in both Divisions. Your Directors are confident that we can, in the foreseeable future, continue to deliver the performance that our Shareholders have come to expect. DAVID M TELLING Chairman MITIE Group PLC Group Profit and Loss Account (Unaudited) for the year ended 31 March 1999 1999 1998 £'000 £'000 Turnover 264,455 236,293 Cost of sales (204,270) (190,683) Gross Profit 60,185 45,610 Administrative expenses (45,555) (34,324) Operating Profit 14,630 11,286 Interest (122) (186) Profit on Ordinary Activities Before 14,508 11,100 Taxation Taxation on Profit on Ordinary (4,676) (3,419) Activities Profit on Ordinary Activities After 9,832 7,681 Taxation Minority interest (1,134) (939) Profit for the Financial Year 8,698 6,742 Dividends - equity (2,166) (1,659) Retained Profit for the Financial Year 6,532 5,083 Earnings per Ordinary Share 6.5p 5.1p MITIE Group PLC Group Balance Sheet (Unaudited) as at 31 March 1999 1999 1998 £'000 £'000 Fixed Assets Intangible assets 2,367 - Tangible assets 30,672 20,529 33,039 20,529 Current Assets Work in progress and stocks 13,760 11,121 Debtors 43,482 35,602 Cash at bank and in hand 8,294 5,626 65,536 52,349 Creditors - due within one year (64,718) (49,248) Net Current Assets 818 3,101 Total Assets less Current Liabilities 33,857 23,630 Creditors - due after one year (4,451) (5,543) Provision for liabilities and charges (1,092) (616) 28,314 17,471 Capital and Reserves Called up share capital 6,761 6,643 Share premium account 5,222 3,584 Revaluation reserve (552) (562) Profit and loss account 11,192 4,660 Equity Shareholders' funds 22,623 14,325 Minority interest 5,691 3,146 28,314 17,471 MITIE Group PLC Group Cash Flow Statement (Unaudited) for the year ended 31 March 1999 1999 1998 £'000 £'000 Net cash inflow from operating 23,230 14,486 activities Return on investments and servicing of finance Interest received 1,616 1,334 Interest paid (1,620) (1,562) Interest element of finance lease (21) (29) rentals (25) (257) Taxation UK corporation tax paid (3,632) (3,210) Capital expenditure Payments to acquire tangible fixed (14,399) (8,522) assets Receipts from sales of tangible fixed 1,196 1,231 assets (13,203) (7,291) Acquisitions and disposals Payments to acquire subsidiary (3,727) (2,323) undertakings Net cash/(overdraft) acquired with 683 (262) subsidiary undertakings (3,044) (2,585) Equity dividends paid (1,877) (1,441) Cash inflow/(outflow) before financing 1,449 (298) Financing Issue of ordinary share capital 1,785 594 Net unsecured loans received 207 96 Capital element of finance lease rental (210) (367) payments Repayment of unsecured loans (82) (1,118) Increase/(Decrease) in debt 1,700 (795) Increase/(Decrease) in cash in the 3,149 (1,093) period MITIE Group PLC Net cash inflow from operating activities (Unaudited) 1999 1998 £'000 £'000 Operating profit 14,630 11,286 Depreciation 5,888 4,448 Amortization of goodwill 34 - Profit on sale of tangible fixed assets (401) (324) (Increase)/Decrease in work in progress (2,491) 1,980 and stocks (Increase) in debtors (7,295) (5,729) Increase in creditors 12,865 2,825 23,230 14,486 NOTES: 1. Dividend The Directors are recommending a final dividend of 0.9p per Ordinary Share, making a total dividend for the year ended 31 March 1999 of 1.6p per share. If approved at the Annual General Meeting, the final dividend will be paid on 1 October 1999 to Shareholders on the register on 10 September 1999. 2. Earnings Per Share Earnings per share are calculated by reference to the profit after tax for the financial year of £8,698,000 (1998: £6,742,000) and on the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue during the year of 133,963,928 (1997: 131,095,590). Earnings and dividend per share figures have been re-stated to reflect the sub-division of shares in September 1998. 3. The Annual General Meeting will be held at The Stable Block, Barley Wood, Wrington, North Somerset, BS40 5SA, on 16 September 1999 at Noon. 4. The financial information set out above does not comprise the company's statutory accounts. Statutory accounts for the previous financial year ended 31 March 1998 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors' report on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain any statement under Section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985.

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