Final Results

Artisan (UK) PLC 11 July 2006 ARTISAN (UK) plc (AIM) (House builder & business park developer) PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2006 HIGHLIGHTS Key points: •24% rise in pre tax profits to £2.6m (2005: £2.1m) •28% growth in earnings per share to 0.77p (2005: 0.60p) •Shareholders' funds increased by 21% to £19.1m •Residential land bank expanded by 21% during the financial year •Commercial development profitability level increased Michael W Stevens commented: 'These results are again very pleasing. The Group has exceeded the market's expectations despite a significant one off cost. The core businesses, our business park and housebuilding subsidiaries, are performing well and we are continuing to invest funds in the acquisition of development land. The resulting increase in outlets will provide the basis for the growth of the Group. The current year has started more positively in terms of sales reservations for Rippon Homes, but margins are under increasing pressure in the absence of an improvement in house prices in the regions in which we operate. Artisan (UK) Developments, our commercial business park subsidiary, is also achieving success in securing further outlets.' 'The resolution of the litigation with Infiniteland Limited in favour of Artisan is a welcome relief and has provided some recovery of funds further contributing to this year's excellent results.' Enquiries: Artisan (UK) plc 01480 436666 Chris Musselle, Chief Executive Bankside Consultants 020 7367 8888 Simon Rothschild/Louise Mason Mobile: 07703 167065 Brewin Dolphin Securities Ifor Williams 0121 237 4960 CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT I am pleased to report a further profitable year. We had viewed the 2005 result as exceptional, in that it benefited from a large commercial sale late in the financial year that contributed significant profits and brought forward profits expected for the year to 31 March 2006. However, were it not for one-off employment costs of £0.3m in the year, our operating profits in 2006 would have exceeded those in 2005. In the event operating profits were broadly stable at £2.6m (2005: £2.7m) whilst pre-tax profits increased to £2.6m from last year's £2.1m. A feature of the housing market is the potential for short term volatility, but the Board believes the long term prospects for housebuilding are strongly founded and because of this we continue to build up land reserves at Rippon Homes. The market for our commercial business parks continued to be active during the year under review. The level of sales was slightly lower than expected due to one potential sale, late in the year, not completing as expected. The prospects for this area of the business remain positive for 2006/07. The Infiniteland litigation, which has been running since 2002, has now been concluded in our favour and some recovery of costs has been achieved. I welcome this outcome and I trust this now marks the end of a period for the Company where significant amounts of management time have been spent dealing with this litigation. Your Board is looking forward to 2006/07 with confidence, however we are cautious in anticipating its prospects as we know that the housing market has been volatile and could move against developers. Housing margins will continue to be under pressure, whilst there is little positive move in house prices achieved in our local markets in Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. We are determined to take the Group forward to a more robust market capitalisation and believe the platform to achieve this growth is now firmly founded. Our future progress will be led by organic growth in both divisions supported where feasible by other opportunities. We will invest in further outlets to provide more sales opportunities and therefore the investment in additional land is of paramount importance to the Group. The investment in the current year will provide the sales opportunities in future years. With this in mind, your Board does not recommend a dividend for the current year, so that funds for investment can be retained in the business. These excellent results for the year, building on last year's success, have been achieved with the support of all the employees in the business, and I should like to acknowledge their efforts on behalf of the Board. Michael W Stevens Chairman 11 July 2006 OPERATIONAL REVIEW The year to 31 March 2006 was a profitable year for house sales at Rippon Homes with once again a strong bias towards exchanges in March. Residential sales for this year were £19.4m (2005: £18.7m) although, reflecting the market conditions experienced generally in the sector, margins were slightly reduced. The improvement in turnover is derived from a change in the mix of sales to slightly more expensive units. Improved consumer confidence in the housing market in January 2006 meant that sales were weighted towards the final month of the year which coincided with production delivery of stock. We are improving the delivery of stock by investing in a broader range of land to achieve, in so far as the market allows, a more balanced flow of units to meet sales demand and over a wider geographic area. Residential unit sales for the year were steady at 117 properties, compared with 118 units in the previous year. Demand may have slipped back from the initial excitement that heralded the New Year but remains generally satisfactory although quite variable from week to week as consumers seem to be easily distracted from the housing market. However, as normal, the results for the year to 31 March 2007 will be reliant upon the market demand in the key sales seasons of the Autumn and New Year. Rippon Homes enjoys a low exposure to buy-to-let investors, and its houses are attractive to the more traditional buyer. This means Rippon Homes does not operate on a high percentage of forward-sales and, whilst it is therefore difficult to forecast sales volumes, it does allow pricing to respond to market conditions and take advantage of positive movements. During the year, sales on the Group's business parks were £7.5m (2005: £8.6m). Last year's turnover would have been equalled had it not been for the late cancellation of one sale at the year end. Whilst the turnover may not have grown, margins have improved, more than compensating for the lower turnover. We have continued to invest in the housing land bank at Rippon Homes and during the year we increased our landholdings by 21%, ending the year with 279 plots owned or contracted (2005 - 230 plots). Future commercial development capacity has been enhanced by the purchase of two new sites (at St Neots and St Ives) at the end of the year and stands at over 15,700 square metres (2005: 15,500 square metres) of net developable floorspace, which is approximately three years' current production. A further site at Peterborough has been contracted since the year end and new outlets continue to be sourced. Through the year to 31 March 2006, the Group has demonstrated the ability to return a good level of operating profits through its operations and enhance the prospects for future years. Chris Musselle Chief Executive 11 July 2006 FINANCIAL REVIEW Results The Profit before taxation for the year increased to £2.65m (2005: £2.14m) a growth of 24% and Group operating profit has been broadly stable at £2.57m (2005: £2.72m). Profit before tax has grown as a result of the improvement in commercial trading margin and the exceptional revenue arising from the successful conclusion to the litigation proceedings against Infiniteland Limited. Earnings per share have increased by 28% to 0.77p (2005: 0.60p) Group turnover for the year to 31 March 2006 was £26.9m (2005: £27.3m). In the year to 31 March 2005 the turnover had been enhanced by the sale of a large block of commercial units at the year end masking the improvement in residential turnover this year. Summary of operating results Residential Commercial Property Central Total Dealing Turnover - 2006 £19.4m £7.5m - - £26.9m - 2005 £18.7m £8.6m - - £27.3m Operating profit - 2006 £2.8m £1.2m - £(1.3)m £2.7m - 2005 £3.1m £1.1m - £(1.3)m £2.9m The analysis of profit is before group management charges and excludes goodwill amortisation. The £1.3m of central expense comprises £1.0m of central overhead plus £0.3m of one-off employment costs. In addition to this operating profit there is the exceptional £0.4m recovery of costs together with associated interest of £0.1m in respect of the successful conclusion of the litigation. The taxation charge for the year is £0.4m resulting in an effective tax rate of 14.7% (2005: 18.6%) of profit before tax. The low effective rate of tax for the year is due to the use of brought forward tax losses (including capital losses in relation to the recovery of legal costs on litigation), adjustments in the amount of provision carried in respect of prior years and claims for tax relief for remediation of contaminated land. Balance Sheet The net assets of the Group have continued to grow with an increase from £15.7m to £19.1m, the result of the retained profit for the year and the new share issue. The Group has net borrowings of £6.6m (2005: £7.1m). The group had a drawn bank debt of £20.0m (2005: £17.3m) resulting in substantial cash balances being available. Our banking facility allows positive bank balances in the group to be offset against loan drawdown for the purposes of interest calculation. The available cash balance greatly assists flexibility in managing the business, particularly as regards land purchases. The gearing ratio is now 34.4% (2005: 44.9%), reflecting the improved net assets and the funding available for continued investment in trading stocks as your Board seeks to improve the depth of the land bank in both operations. The improved banking facility finalised after the year end is a three year rolling facility for a significantly increased amount. As stated before, your Board expects to take advantage of the opportunities to be gained by increasing this gearing ratio as worthwhile new projects are identified in both residential and commercial activities. Work in Progress Work in progress has increased from £21.8m to £26.4m, reflecting the continued investment in both residential and commercial land banks. The work in progress is divided between our residential stocks of £18.6m (2005: £15.4m) and commercial stocks of £7.8m (2005: £6.4m). We expect work in progress to increase further as funds are invested in the land bank. Share Capital In the year there was one issue of 40m of new ordinary shares raising £1.1m. This was in support of improved bank facilities, which have now been agreed. The shares were issued to Aspen Finance Limited, a company in which your Chairman Michael Stevens has a beneficial interest. Non-Core Assets Since the year end Artisan (UK) plc has disposed of its small residual shareholding in Stratus Services Group Inc. There are no other non-core holdings. Litigation The dispute with Infiniteland Limited over the sale of Bickerton Construction Limited was finally resolved in November 2005 when the purchaser's application to appeal to the House of Lords was refused by both the Court of Appeal and the Appeals Committee of the House of Lords. Also, as we previously reported, the liquidator of Bickerton Construction Limited had made enquiries into management charges from Artisan around the time of the sale of Bickerton. In a report to all creditors of Bickerton Construction Limited, the liquidator has stated that no further investigations or actions are to be carried out. Chris Musselle Chief Executive 11 July 2006 ARTISAN (UK) PLC GROUP PROFIT & LOSS ACCOUNT For The Year Ended 31 March 2006 31 Mar 2006 31 Mar 2005 £ £ TURNOVER 26,927,485 27,326,235 COST OF SALES (22,361,527) (22,612,319) __________ __________ GROSS PROFIT 4,565,958 4,713,916 Administrative expenses (2,327,663) (2,300,930) Other operating income 336,351 309,133 __________ __________ OPERATING PROFIT 2,574,646 2,722,119 Loss on sale of group undertaking in prior year - (7,640) Exceptional recovery of costs/(provision) in respect of sale of group undertakings in previous years 405,108 (125,000) (Provision)/profits arising on current asset (4,000) 69,476 investments and loan notes __________ __________ 2,975,754 2,658,955 Interest payable (448,686) (536,538) Interest receivable and similar income 119,425 12,631 __________ __________ PROFIT ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES BEFORE TAXATION 2,646,493 2,135,048 Taxation (388,972) (397,565) __________ __________ RETAINED PROFIT FOR THE YEAR 2,257,521 1,737,483 __________ __________ Basic earnings per share 0.77p 0.60p Diluted earnings per share 0.77p 0.60p All recognised gains and losses in the current and prior year are included in the profit and loss account. All amounts relate to continuing activities. GROUP BALANCE SHEET As at 31 March 2006 31 Mar 2006 31 Mar 2005 £ £ FIXED ASSETS Intangible fixed assets 2,314,222 2,471,206 Tangible fixed assets 352,779 340,199 __________ __________ 2,667,001 2,811,405 __________ __________ CURRENT ASSETS Investments 1,000 5,000 Stocks and work in progress 26,437,562 21,786,214 Debtors 5,542,920 6,791,533 Cash at bank and in hand 3,350 5,207 __________ __________ 31,984,832 28,587,954 CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year (8,568,360) (8,094,628) __________ __________ NET CURRENT ASSETS 23,416,472 20,493,326 __________ __________ TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 26,083,473 23,304,731 CREDITORS: Amounts falling due after more than one year (6,563,065) (7,060,746) Provisions for liabilities (447,745) (528,843) __________ __________ NET ASSETS 19,072,663 15,715,142 __________ __________ CAPITAL AND RESERVES Called up share capital 1,642,647 1,442,647 Share premium account 10,356,668 9,456,668 Merger reserve 515,569 515,569 Capital redemption reserve 91,750 91,750 Profit and loss account 6,466,029 4,208,508 __________ __________ SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS 19,072,663 15,715,142 __________ __________ GROUP CASH FLOW STATEMENT For The Year Ended 31 March 2006 31 Mar 2006 31 Mar 2005 £ £ NET CASH INFLOW/(OUTFLOW) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 40,315 (2,121,632) RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS AND SERVICING OF FINANCE Interest received 119,425 12,631 Interest paid (447,680) (489,149) __________ ________ NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS AND SERVICING OF FINANCE (328,255) (476,518) TAXATION UK Corporation tax paid (683,012) (520,064) CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT Sale of tangible fixed assets 8,935 4,894 Purchase of tangible fixed assets (44,947) (25,294) __________ ________ NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES (36,012) (20,400) ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSALS Disposal of subsidiary undertaking in prior year 405,108 (7,640) __________ ________ NET CASH INFLOW/(OUTFLOW) FROM ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSALS 405,108 (7,640) __________ __________ NET CASH OUTFLOW BEFORE USE OF LIQUID RESOUORCES AND FINANCING (601,856) (3,146,254) MANAGEMENT OF LIQUID RESOURCES Sale of current asset investments - 477,966 FINANCING Issue of ordinary share capital 1,100,000 - Movement in borrowing (497,681) 6,042,362 Capital element of hire purchase payments (2,320) (5,892) __________ __________ NET CASH INFLOW FROM FINANCING 599,999 6,036,470 __________ __________ (DECREASE)/INCREASE IN CASH (1,857) 3,368,182 __________ __________ Notes 1 EARNINGS PER SHARE The basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit for the financial year attributable to shareholders by the weighted average number of shares in issue. The weighted average number of shares were 31 Mar 2006 31 Mar 2005 Number Number Basic weighted average number of shares 291,597,919 288,529,426 There were no dilutive potential ordinary shares in 2006 or 2005 2. The financial information set out in this document, which summarises the results of the group, does not amount to statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The group's auditors have audited the statutory accounts and have issued unqualified reports thereon within the meaning of Section 235 and have not made any statement under Section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985 for the years ended 31 March 2006 and 31 March 2005. 3. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 March 2005 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 March 2006 will be delivered to the Registrar following the Annual General Meeting. No changes have been made to accounting policies. 4. The Annual General Meeting will be held at 28 Portland Place, London, W1 at 10.45am on 5 September 2006. Copies of this announcement will be available to the public, free of charge, from the offices of Brewin Dolphin Securities, Edmund House, 12-22 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 3DB during normal office hours, with the exception of Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, for 14 days from today. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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