TIDMHW.
RNS Number : 8157N
Harwood Wealth Management Group PLC
23 January 2019
23 January 2019
Harwood Wealth Management Group PLC
("HWMG", the "Company", or the "Group")
Full year results for the year ended 31 October 2018
Harwood Wealth Management Group (AIM:HW.), a leading UK-based
financial planning and discretionary wealth management business, is
pleased to announce its audited results for the year ended 31
October 2018. The Group continues to pursue its strategy of
acquisitive and organic growth and the 2018 results show continued
progress in revenue, assets under management and adjusted
EBITDA*.
HIGHLIGHTS
2018 2017 % change
Assets Under Influence
("AUI") GBP4.8bn GBP3.8bn +26%
Assets Under Management
("AUM") GBP1.7bn GBP1.2bn +42%
Revenue GBP32.7m GBP25.9m +26%
Gross profit GBP15.1m GBP11.2m +35%
Adjusted EBITDA* GBP6.1m GBP4.3m +42%
Profit before tax GBP2.0m GBP1.2m +63%
Cash inflow from operating
activities GBP6.5m GBP4.9m +33%
Basic earnings per share 1.91p 1.19p +61%
Adjusted earnings per
share** 7.92p 5.87p +35%
Dividend per share 3.50p 3.24p +8%
-- Nine acquisitions completed in the period for consideration
of GBP10.7m (GBP9.0m net of cash acquired)
-- Cash balance at year end GBP13.6m, GBP4.2m available for acquisitions
*Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxation,
depreciation, amortisation and separately disclosed items. It is a
non-IFRS measure which the Group uses to assess its performance and
it is also commonly used as a performance measure by market
commentators.
**Adjusted earnings per share are calculated on post-tax
adjusted EBITDA.
Commenting, Peter Mann, Chairman, said:
"It has been another year of strong growth for the Group, with
EBITDA achieved ahead of the Board's expectations set at the start
of the year. Our financial success demonstrates the efficacy of
Harwood's three-pronged growth strategy and the benefits of
building a recognised market position in a fast-consolidating
industry.
The Group's growth in revenue was driven by the completion of
nine acquisitions over the period, as well as the impact of prior
year acquisitions. Acquisitions are a key part of our strategy. We
remain very confident that a large pool of opportunities exists,
many of which we expect to execute in 2019, continuing to grow the
business in scale and capability.
We are confident in the Group's outlook, with Harwood well
positioned to deliver further growth."
For further information please contact:
Harwood Wealth Management Group plc
Alan Durrant, Chief Executive Officer
Gillian Davies, Interim Chief Financial
Officer +44 (0)23 9355 2004
N+1 Singer Advisory LLP
Shaun Dobson
James White
Ben Farrow
Rachel Hayes +44 (0)20 7496 3000
Alma PR +44 (0)20 3405 0205
Rebecca Sanders-Hewett harwoodwealth@almapr.co.uk
Susie Hudson
Chairman's statement
Strong growth momentum continues
I am very pleased to report on another year of strong growth
with adjusted EBITDA having increased by 42% on the prior year.
This is ahead of the Board's expectations set at the start of the
year.
We have made nine acquisitions over the period, many of which
were larger than those acquired in the previous year, spending a
total of GBP10.7m. Alongside this, we continued to drive organic
growth, growing the external investment mandates under our
management and benefitting from investment in our fund management
products by clients of the advisers who joined the Group as a
result of previous years' acquisitions. This year, AUI increased by
26% to GBP4.8bn and AUM by 42% to GBP1.7bn, continuing to
demonstrate the Group's increasing scale.
Continued delivery
Nearly three years on since listing, we are proud to have
consistently delivered growth year-on-year of over 25% in revenue
and over 40% in adjusted EBITDA. This performance has been driven
by executing our simple, three-pronged strategy: driving organic
growth, acquiring financial advisory or wealth management
businesses and increasing operational efficiency. In line with our
strategy, the Group has maintained a consistently high level of
recurring revenue which in 2018 exceeded 70%.
Our consistency of delivery is Harwood's greatest strength.
Similarly, we believe our longstanding reputation as a quality
acquirer, which demands high standards, has led to Harwood being
viewed as one of the leading consolidators in the industry. We have
built our market presence further this year, in a sector which
remains buoyant and has seen no significant new entrants.
Strengthened corporate governance
The changes made to the roles of certain board members in April
this year were in line with our interpretation of the forthcoming
changes to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime and were
part of the Group's continuing evaluation of how best to organise
its internal structure and reporting lines. I am pleased to say
that the new reporting structure is working well and all members of
the management team who were allocated new roles have excelled in
them thus far. Alan Durrant, who took on the role of sole CEO, has
continued to show strong leadership in corporate strategy, whilst
Neil Dunkley remains key in driving growth in Financial Planning as
Managing Director of Financial Planning and Network Services. We
are delighted to have found an experienced interim CFO with the
appointment of Gillian Davies and are very pleased that our former
CFO, Nick Bravery, has continued to contribute to the strategic
direction of the business as Company Secretary.
As a quoted company traded on the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange, we understand the importance of sound corporate
governance and of adopting principles of good governance across the
business. In September, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to good
corporate governance by adopting and applying the Quoted Companies
Alliance (QCA) Corporate Governance Code 2018.
A progressive dividend
In line with our progressive dividend policy, we paid an interim
dividend of 1.08 pence per share and the Board will be recommending
a final dividend of 2.42 pence per ordinary share, bringing the
full year dividend pay-out to 3.50 pence, an increase of 8%.
WELL POSITIONED FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Having successfully navigated through many periods of
uncertainty since its inception, the Group is used to growing the
business under sometimes difficult circumstances. We are in the
strong position of benefitting from complexity and change, key
factors which drive clients to use our services.
I would like to thank our management, staff and partner advisers
for another successful year and our Shareholders for their
continued support
We look forward to updating the market on our performance in
2019 in due course.
Peter Mann
Chairman
CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S STATEMENT
I am very pleased to be able to report another strong set of
results this year. Revenue grew by 26% to GBP32.7m (2017: GBP25.9m)
and we generated GBP6.1m of adjusted EBITDA (2017: GBP4.3m), an
increase of 42%. At 31 October 2018, our Assets Under Influence
("AUI") were at GBP4.8bn (31 October 2017: GBP3.8bn) and Assets
Under Management ("AUM") were at GBP1.7bn (31 October 2017:
GBP1.2bn). These strong results were again driven by progress
across all our three divisions.
Growth has been delivered against the backdrop of an
unpredictable market which has been more volatile than previously
seen since listing, prompted, in part, by the vagaries of the
current political climate. These results are testament to both our
expertise in our sector and unwavering focus on the execution of
our strategy.
Below is a detailed review of the key drivers to delivering this
strong performance in line with our stated strategy.
Performance against strategy: growth from acquisitions
This year we have continued to deliver on the acquisition of
several high-quality businesses. We deployed GBP10.7m (GBP9.0m net
of cash acquired) on nine acquisitions, a considerable acceleration
compared with the GBP2.3m invested on seven acquisitions in the
previous financial year. With acquisitive growth, the Group
benefits through both the immediate fee income for providing advice
and the expectation that a proportion of these assets will come
under our management in time, when our investment management
solutions are right for the needs of clients.
Acquisitions made during the year accounted for 7% growth in
revenue in the current year. Several of the acquisitions were
larger than those completed during previous years, demonstrating
the Group's growing scale and buying power. In addition, the full
year impact of acquisitions (predominantly Network Services)
completed during the prior year, contributed 12% growth in revenue
in 2018. A key part of our business model is to ensure the
successful integration of acquisitions following their purchase. I
am pleased with the integration progress that has been made during
2018, to make Harwood a professional, productive home to all our
new employees, partner advisers and clients.
The Group has a proven acquisition process and we believe that
this methodology is vital in the successful purchase, integration
and management of acquisitions.
We continue to look for small to medium sized financial advisory
and wealth management businesses to acquire, with a view to
completing as many as possible each year, whilst following our
robust acquisition processes. The upper size limit of the
prospective acquisitions we are looking at has increased as a
positive consequence of the IPO and the number of businesses now
approaching us as vendors demonstrates our strong position in the
marketplace. The Group has signed heads of terms in respect of two
acquisitions and has issued proposals or heads of terms for a
further six. In addition, since the year end, the Group has
exchanged contracts in relation to the acquisition of GD White for
a total consideration of cGBP1.5m.
The pool of potential acquisition targets shows no sign of
diminishing and the factors driving IFA consolidation remain.
Smaller IFAs continue to face the challenges of an ever greater
regulatory and compliance burden which now includes MiFiD II, GDPR
and soon SMCR. For advisers approaching retirement, the opportunity
to sell their business to someone with the established resources,
technology and infrastructure to provide seamless operations,
compliance and technical support for their clients is a compelling
one.
Performance against strategy: organic growth
Net organic growth contributed 7% of the revenue growth in the
year. We aim to deliver organic growth through: growing our AUI in
the Financial Planning business by increasing the number of clients
and advisers, as well as advising on a larger share of the clients'
wealth; growing our AUM by increasing the proportion of our
clients' wealth that we manage through our Investment Management
businesses as well as winning external investment management
mandates.
Growth from existing clients has been driven by continued trends
seen in financial services and the ongoing need for professional
financial advice. These include increased pension freedoms, an
ageing population and the growing complexity of regulation and
legislation. All these trends serve to cement and grow client
relationships with advisers that they trust, underpinning Harwood's
positive attitude towards change.
We continue to bring new clients into our investment management
businesses, primarily through two routes. The first route is those
clients who migrate from solely seeking financial advice to also
becoming clients of one of our investment management businesses.
The increase in our AUM is testament to the quality of Harwood's
fund management products and how well they suit our advisers' needs
and those of our clients. We work very closely to partner with our
advisers, building them a range of solutions appropriate for a
broad range of client requirements. The second route is through
external mandates, where customers come in immediately through the
fund management division. The mandate won in February this year, to
provide the portfolio research element of Frenkel Topping's
investment management services, is a prime example of delivery on
this element of the growth strategy. Our ability to deliver
tailored investment solutions combined with a high level of
personal service has led to continued strong growth in our external
mandates.
Network Direct Ltd (which is our Network Services division) was
acquired in February 2017 in order to leverage our investment
solutions to the benefit of their advisers and clients, as well as
expanding our reach across the UK. We have used our existing
investment management resource to design bespoke investment
management products specifically to tailor to the wants and needs
of the Network Services advisers, dovetailing their
well-established advice and operations processes. These new
products have been supported by extensive training seminars and
individual meetings with Network Services advisers to give them the
tools and confidence they need to recommend the NDL Blended
Solutions to their clients. Although uptake has taken somewhat
longer than originally expected, we have been seeing steady monthly
flows of new business over the last year and the fees from this
flow straight through to our EBITDA as it utilises our existing
investment management resources.
Historically, another factor in driving organic growth has been
the rise in asset markets. With the volatility of the markets over
the period this has been a headwind rather than a tailwind with the
FTSE 100 falling during the period by 4.8%. However, it would be
wrong to think of our clients' assets as being directly linked to
the performance of the FTSE 100 and our revenue rising and falling
in lock-step with a single benchmark. The vast majority of our
clients are in Cautious, Balanced and Income portfolios which are
diversified across different sizes of companies both in the UK and
internationally, fixed income, property and absolute returns. This
diversification, which is aimed at reducing volatility for our
clients, also produces a smoother revenue stream for us.
Performance against strategy: efficiency in operations
We continue to work on improvements across our internal
operations, making sure they are suitably efficient and robust for
the next stage of growth. Due to the highly regulated nature of our
industry we take a measured approach to internal change, gradually
implementing new initiatives to bring out efficiency gains in a
controlled manner. An important part of this strand of our strategy
is the diligent and consistent review of processes to ensure they
are in line with best practice.
Over the year we have restructured in line with the upcoming
Senior Managers and Certification Regime, introduced to increase
individual accountability within the banking sector. Across the
business we have implemented leadership teams to pool resources and
improve best practice. As part of this, Network Services has been
brought under the leadership of Neil Dunkley as this will provide
further support to the current management team. We are pleased with
how the new management structure has performed since these changes
were made and are confident that we now have the necessary
corporate structures in place for further well-managed growth.
Outlook
In 2018, we have again delivered against all three elements of
our strategy, growing from our existing clients and bringing in new
clients, expanding via acquisition and driving efficiency in our
operations.
Notwithstanding the recent weakness in the markets, in the early
part of our 2019 financial year each division has shown growth
compared to the same period in the prior year. We have a healthy
pipeline of acquisitions at an advanced stage, including several
potentially larger deals. As always, we will aim to buy businesses
that present not only the best financial opportunity but also the
best cultural fit. The Directors are continuing to review both debt
and equity financing options.
Whilst the current political and economic climate, most
noticeably Brexit, brings uncertainty, the senior management team
has, between them, decades of experience in dealing with differing
economic and political environments. As we have demonstrated
historically, we believe we are well positioned to weather changes
in the global economic landscape. We are confident in the Group's
outlook with a strengthened management team and opportunities to
continue to deliver growth both organically and through
acquisition. I would like to thank all of our clients, partners,
colleagues and stakeholders, who continue to support us in our
journey.
Alan Durrant
Chief Executive Officer
FINANCIAL REVIEW
ASSETS UNDER INFLUENCE AND ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
The Group's total Assets Under Influence ("AUI") in the
financial year increased by 26% to GBP4.8bn (2017: GBP3.8bn).
Assets Under Management ("AUM"), (a component of AUI), increased
by 42% to GBP1.7bn (2017: GBP1.2bn). The discretionary fund
management business, Wellian Investment Solutions, performed
strongly and increased its AUM to GBP977m (2017: GBP627m). The
advised investment management business, IMS Capital, increased its
AUM to GBP698m (2017: GBP587m).
GROUP RESULTS
2018 2017 Change
%
GBPm GBPm
Revenue 32.7 25.9 +26%
Gross profit 15.1 11.2 +35%
Gross profit % 46% 43%
Administrative expenses (9.0) (6.9) -31%
Pre-depreciation and amortisation
------
Adjusted EBITDA 6.1 4.3 +42%
EBITDA % 19% 17%
Depreciation and amortisation (3.3) (2.5) -32%
Separately disclosed items (0.2) - n/a
------ ------
Operating profit 2.6 1.8 +44%
Finance expense (0.6) (0.6) 0%
------ ------
Profit before tax 2.0 1.2 +63%
====== ======
REVENUE
Group revenue in the year increased by 26% to GBP32.7m (2017:
GBP25.9m). As a result of following the Group's strategy the
revenue growth derives from the following:
-- the full year effect of acquisitions that were completed in the 2017 financial year
-- the part year effect of acquisitions completed in this financial year
-- the growth in AUM
-- new business derived from newly acquired and existing client portfolios
-- any change in the number of financial advisers
-- any movement in market asset values
The divisional split of Group revenue is set out below:
2018 2017 Change
GBPm GBPm %
Financial Planning 14.6 12.9 +13%
Investment Management 4.5 3.2 +42%
Network Services 13.6 9.8 +39%
32.7 25.9 +26%
===== ===== =======
Each of the Group's three divisions achieved growth in the year.
Financial Planning revenue increased by 13%, reflecting the impact
of acquisitions made in the first half of the year. Investment
Management revenue increased by 42% in line with the 42% increase
in AUM during the year. Network Services revenue increased by 39%,
representing a full year of revenue from the business which was
purchased in February 2017, as well as organic growth.
GROSS PROFIT
Gross profit in the year increased by 35% to GBP15.1m (2017:
GBP11.2m) and the gross profit percentage increased to 46% from 43%
in the prior year. This is analysed by division below:
2018 2017
GBPm GP% GBPm GP%
Financial Planning 9.6 66% 7.4 57%
Investment Management 4.2 92% 3.0 93%
Network Services 1.3 9% 0.8 8%
15.1 46% 11.2 43%
===== ==== ===== ====
Financial Planning gross profit percentage increased to 66% from
57%. This was due to the higher gross profit from some acquisitions
where clients are serviced through employed financial advisers,
whose costs are included within administrative expenses. In
addition, some retiring self-employed advisers have been replaced
by employed advisers during the year. Investment Management and
Network Services were at a similar level to the gross profit
percentage achieved in the prior year.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
Administrative expenses (excluding depreciation and
amortisation) were GBP9.0m (2017: GBP6.9m), an increase of 31%
compared to 2017. The increase predominantly represented an
increase in employment costs of GBP1.6m to support growth. In
addition, there were modest increases in IT, legal and professional
and property costs.
FINANCIAL ADVISERS AND STAFF HEADCOUNT
The number of financial advisers (employed, self-employed and
Network Services members) was 177 (2017: 179).
Staff headcount increased from an average of 113 to 136 across
the Group (excluding self-employed advisers and Network Services
Members).
ADJUSTED EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA increased by 42% to GBP6.1m (2017: GBP4.3m) and
the adjusted EBITDA percentage increased to 19% (2017: 17%).
OPERATING PROFIT
Operating profit increased by 44% to GBP2.6m (2017: GBP1.8m)
after charging separately disclosed items of GBP0.2m (2017: no
charge) and amortisation of GBP3.3m (2017: GBP2.5m). The separately
disclosed items were in respect of increased deferred payments
relating to acquisitions. The increase in amortisation reflected
the impact of acquisitions (see note 7).
NET FINANCE EXPENSES
Net finance expense was GBP0.6m (2017: GBP0.6m). This related to
the unwinding of discount on contingent consideration relating to
acquisitions.
TAXATION
The current corporation tax charge in the period was GBP1.1m
(2017: GBP0.8m), offset by a deferred tax credit of GBP0.3m (2017:
GBP0.3m) related to intangible asset amortisation of acquired
subsidiaries. The effective tax rate of 39% (2017: 41%) was
significantly higher than the UK corporation tax rate at 19%,
reflecting expenses which did not qualify for income tax deduction
(principally amortisation). Tax paid was GBP1.1m (2017:
GBP1.2m).
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic and diluted earnings per share were 1.91p (2017: 1.19p),
an increase of 61%.
Adjusted earnings per share were 7.92p (2017: 5.87p), an
increase of 35%. This is lower than the increase in adjusted EBITDA
due to an increase in the average number of shares in issue.
DIVIDS
The Board has proposed a final dividend of 2.42p (2017: 2.24p),
which together with the interim dividend of 1.08p (2017: 1.0p),
gives a total paid and proposed dividend relating to 2018 of 3.50p
(2017: 3.24p), an increase of 8%, in line with its progressive
dividend policy. The final dividend is subject to the approval of
the Company's Shareholders and will be paid on 10 May 2019 to
Shareholders who are on the register at close of business on 26
April 2019.
ACQUISITIONS
During the year the Group completed a total of nine
acquisitions, which included the client portfolios of four
independent financial adviser businesses and a further five client
portfolios through the purchase of the entire issued share capital
of similar businesses. Aggregate consideration was GBP10.7m
(GBP9.0m net of cash acquired). This consideration comprised
GBP6.6m of cash due on completion and discounted deferred
consideration of GBP4.1m which is due to be paid over the next two
years. Deferred consideration is payable based upon the trail
income from the client portfolio acquired and may be increased or
decreased compared to the actual amounts provided.
CASH
The Group had cash of GBP13.6m at 31 October 2018 (31 October
2017: GBP19.0m). The Group generated GBP6.5m of cash inflow from
operating activities (2017: GBP4.9m), representing a strong
adjusted EBITDA cash conversion rate for the year of 107%. Cash of
GBP8.8m (2017: GBP4.0m) was paid in the year in respect of
acquisitions: GBP4.9m (2017: GBP1.4m) initial consideration (net of
cash acquired) and GBP3.9m (2017: GBP2.6m) deferred consideration.
Dividends paid to Shareholders in the year totalled GBP2.0m (2017:
GBP1.3m).
The Group has cGBP4.2m of cash available for acquisitions after
excluding deferred consideration, dividends and capital adequacy
requirements.
FINANCIAL POSITION
The Group had net assets at the end of 2018 of GBP25.9m (2017:
GBP26.8m), including net cash as summarised above of GBP13.6m. The
Group remains in a robust financial position to continue to pursue
its strategy of organic growth and acquisitions.
EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING DATE
2018 interim dividend
The 2018 interim dividend of 1.08p per share was paid to
Shareholders on 9 November 2018, totalling GBP0.7m.
Acquisition of GD White (Independent Financial Advisers)
On 18 January 2019, the Group exchanged contracts to purchase
the trade and assets of GD White (Independent Financial Advisers).
The purchase price is expected to be cGBP1.5m, payable 50% on
completion (expected to be on 1 May 2019) and a further two
instalments of 25% and 25% which are due to be paid on the first
and second anniversaries of completion, contingent upon
results.
Gillian Davies
Interim Chief Financial Officer
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEARED 31 OCTOBER 2018
2018 2017
Notes GBP'000 GBP'000
Revenue 3 32,693 25,885
Cost of sales (17,601) (14,719)
--------- ---------
Gross profit 3 15,092 11,166
Administrative expenses (12,330) (9,410)
Separately disclosed items 4 (174) -
--------- ---------
Operating profit before depreciation,
amortisation and separately
disclosed items ("Adjusted
EBITDA") 6,116 4,319
Depreciation (12) (11)
Amortisation (3,342) (2,552)
Separately disclosed items 4 (174) -
Operating profit 2,588 1,756
Investment income 23 19
Finance expense (653) (577)
--------- ---------
Profit before income tax 1,958 1,198
Income tax expense 5 (762) (492)
--------- ---------
Profit and total comprehensive
income for the year attributable
to equity owners of the parent 1,196 706
========= =========
pence pence
Earnings per share
Basic and fully diluted 6 1.91 1.19
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2018
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Non-current assets
Intangible assets 20,803 15,033
Property, plant and equipment 31 24
-------- --------
20,834 15,057
Current assets
Trade and other receivables 1,553 1,075
Cash and cash equivalents 13,634 18,959
-------- --------
15,187 20,034
-------- --------
Total assets 36,021 35,091
-------- --------
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables 3,916 5,160
Accruals and deferred income 1,405 1,284
Current tax liabilities 659 474
Provisions 766 -
-------- --------
6,746 6,918
-------- --------
Net current assets 8,441 13,116
-------- --------
Non-current liabilities
Trade and other payables 2,407 252
Deferred tax liabilities 829 1,161
Provisions 109 -
-------- --------
3,345 1,413
-------- --------
Total liabilities 10,091 8,331
-------- --------
Net assets 25,930 26,760
======== ========
Equity
Called up share capital 156 156
Share premium account 25,500 25,500
Retained earnings 274 1,104
-------- --------
Total equity attributable to
the owners of the parent 25,930 26,760
======== ========
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
FOR THE YEARED 31 OCTOBER 2018
Attributable to the owners of the parent
Share Share Retained Total
capital premium earnings
account
Notes GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Balance at 1 November 2016 139 15,541 1,649 17,329
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Year ended 31 October 2017:
Profit and total comprehensive
income for the year - - 706 706
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Issue of share capital 17 10,414 - 10,431
Dividends - - (1,251) (1,251)
Costs of share issue - (455) - (455)
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Total transactions with owners
recognised directly in equity 17 9,959 (1,251) 8,725
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Balance at 31 October 2017 156 25,500 1,104 26,760
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Year ended 31 October 2018:
Profit and total comprehensive
income for the year - - 1,196 1,196
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Dividends 8 - - (2,026) (2,026)
Total transactions with owners
recognised directly in equity - - (2,026) (2,026)
--------- --------- ---------- --------
Balance at 31 October 2018 156 25,500 274 25,930
========= ========= ========== ========
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEARED 31 OCTOBER 2018
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Cash flows from operating
activities
Profit before income tax 1,958 1,198
Non-cash adjustments
Depreciation, amortisation
and impairment 3,354 2,563
Separately disclosed items 174 -
Net finance expense 630 558
-------- --------
4,158 3,121
Working capital adjustments
(Increase) in trade and other
receivables (414) (316)
Increase in trade, other payables
and provisions 828 917
-------- --------
414 601
-------- --------
Cash inflow from operating
activities 6,530 4,920
Income tax paid (1,063) (1,212)
-------- --------
(1,063) (1,212)
-------- --------
Net cash generated by operations 5,467 3,708
Investing activities
Payment of deferred consideration (3,865) (2,578)
Purchase of intangible assets (1,005) (583)
Interest received 23 19
Acquisition of subsidiaries
net of cash acquired (3,905) (846)
Purchase of property, plant
and equipment (14) (12)
-------- --------
Net cash used in investing
activities (8,766) (4,000)
Financing activities
Proceeds from issue of shares
(net of costs) - 9,976
Dividends paid (2,026) (1,251)
-------- --------
Net cash (used in)/generated
from financing activities (2,026) 8,725
-------- --------
Net (decrease)/increase in
cash and cash equivalents (5,325) 8,433
Cash and cash equivalents
at beginning of year 18,959 10,526
-------- --------
Cash and cash equivalents
at end of year 13,634 18,959
======== ========
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION
1. General Information
Harwood Wealth Management Group plc is a public limited
liability company incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales.
The Group's business activities are principally the provision of
financial advice, investment management and network services. The
address of the registered office is 5 Lancer House, Hussar Court,
Westside View, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 7SE. The company is
listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.
The preliminary financial information does not constitute full
accounts within the meaning of section 434 of the Companies Act
2006 but is derived from accounts for the years ended 31 October
2018 and 31 October 2017. The accounts for the year ended 31
October 2018 are audited. The preliminary announcement is prepared
on the same basis as set out in the statutory accounts for the year
ended 31 October 2018. Those accounts, upon which the auditors
issued an unqualified opinion, did not include a reference to any
matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis,
without qualifying their report, and made no statement under
section 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006, will be delivered
to the Registrar of Companies following the Annual General
Meeting.
Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 October 2017 have been
filed with the Registrar of Companies. The auditor's report on
those accounts was unqualified, did not include a reference to any
matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis,
without qualifying their report, and made no statement under
section 498 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.
While the financial information included in this preliminary
announcement has been prepared in accordance with the recognition
and measurement criteria of International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS), as adopted by the European Union (EU), this
announcement does not in itself contain sufficient information to
comply with IFRS.
2. Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of consolidation
These consolidated financial statements consolidate the
financial statements of the Company and its subsidiary undertakings
as at 31 October 2018. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the
date of acquisition, being the date on which the Group obtains
control and continue to be consolidated until the date that such
control may cease. The financial statements of the subsidiaries are
prepared for the same reporting period as the parent company, using
consistent accounting policies.
Definition of a business (Amendments to IFRS 3) (October
2018)
The Group has adopted early the provisions of this amendment,
which clarify the definition of a business with the objective of
assisting entities to determine whether a transaction should be
accounted for as a business combination or as an asset acquisition.
In particular the amendment adds an optional 'concentration test'
which permits a simplified assessment of whether an acquired set of
activities and assets is not a business. The concentration test is
met if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets
acquired is concentrated in a single asset or group of similar
assets. The Group has adopted the amendment and applied the
concentration test to its acquisitions with effect from the
commencement of this accounting period. All the acquisitions in the
year have met the test and have been treated as asset
purchases.
Going concern
After a review, the Directors have, at the time of approving the
financial statements, a reasonable expectation that the Group has
adequate resources to continue to operate for a period of at least
twelve months from the date these financial statements were
approved. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern
basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
3. Operating segments
For management purposes the following information by segment is
provided to the chief operating decision maker, which is considered
to be the Group Board and best describes the way the Group is
managed. This provides a meaningful insight into the operations of
the Group.
An analysis of the Group's operating segments is as follows:
Financial Planning Investment Management Network Services Total
2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017 2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Revenue 14,589 12,913 4,544 3,197 13,560 9,775 32,693 25,885
Cost of
sales (4,971) (5,553) (351) (206) (12,279) (8,960) (17,601) (14,719)
---------- --------- ----------- ----------- --------- -------- --------- ---------
Gross
profit 9,618 7,360 4,193 2,991 1,281 815 15,092 11,166
========== ========= =========== =========== ========= ======== ========= =========
4. Separately disclosed items
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Additional consideration on past acquisitions 174 -
======== ========
The additional consideration on past acquisitions is the
difference between the final contingent consideration payable on
acquisitions and the deferred consideration previously provided in
the statement of financial position. The difference is due to
actual revenues being higher than expected at the time of
acquisition.
5. Taxation
An analysis of the income tax charge is detailed below:
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Current tax
Current year taxation 1,094 769
======== ========
Deferred tax
Origination and reversal of temporary differences (332) (210)
Effect of change in tax rate - (67)
-------- --------
(332) (277)
======== ========
Income tax expense 762 492
======== ========
The charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit per the income
statement as follows:
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Profit before taxation 1,958 1,198
======== ========
Expected tax charge based on a corporation tax rate
of 19.00% (2017: 19.41%) 372 232
Expenses not deductible in determining taxable profit 390 260
-------- --------
Income tax expense 762 492
======== ========
6. Earnings per share
Basic and diluted earnings per share are calculated by dividing the
profit attributable to equity Shareholders of the Company by the weighted
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year. There
are no dilutive or potential shares.
2018 2017
'000 '000
Number of shares
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for basic
earnings per share 62,543 59,323
GBP'000 GBP'000
Earnings
Profit for the period from continuing operations 1,196 706
-------- --------
Earnings for basic and diluted earnings per share being
net profit attributable to equity Shareholders of the
Company for continuing operations 1,196 706
======== ========
pence pence
Basic and diluted earnings per share 1.91 1.19
======== ========
Adjusted earnings per share
The adjusted earnings per share are based on:
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Profit before taxation 1,958 1,198
Add: Net finance expense 630 558
Depreciation 12 11
Amortisation 3,342 2,552
Separately disclosed items 174 -
-------- --------
Adjusted EBITDA 6,116 4,319
Tax charge on adjusted EBITDA (1,162) (839)
-------- --------
Adjusted earnings for basic and diluted earnings per
share 4,954 3,480
-------- --------
pence pence
Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share 7.92 5.87
======== ========
The adjusted earnings per share is calculated before the after-tax
effect of amortisation, depreciation and separately disclosed items
and is included because the Directors consider this gives a measure
of the underlying performance of the business.
The basis for the presentation of the adjusted earnings per share
is different to the previous year as it is post tax. Adjusted earnings
per share were previously reported before tax. An estimate of the
tax charge on the adjusted EBITDA is now incorporated and the 2017
comparatives have been restated.
7. Acquisitions
A number of client portfolios were acquired as follows:
2018
Number
Portfolios acquired 9
GBP'000
Total consideration payable 10,701
Cash acquired (1,705)
Net liabilities acquired 116
-----------
Total portfolio value 9,112
===========
Immediate cash consideration
(net of cash acquired) 4,910
Contingent cash consideration 4,086
-----------
8,996
Net liabilities acquired 116
-----------
9,112
===========
Within the above, four of the nine portfolios were trade and asset
purchases, totalling GBP1,801,000 with GBP1,005,000 immediate cash
payable and a further GBP796,000 contingent cash consideration.
A further five entities were acquired through acquisition of share
capital, as set out below:
Anthony Wealth
Finance Harding Planning AE Financial
for Life & Partners Services Services Fund Management
Ltd Ltd Ltd Ltd Ltd Total
GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000 GBP'000
Receivables - - - 69 - 69
Cash 9 - - 1,660 36 1,705
Payables (8) - - (23) - (31)
Corporation tax payable (1) - - (137) (16) (154)
---------- ------------ ---------- ------------- ---------------- --------
Net assets acquired - - - 1,569 20 1,589
Client portfolios acquired 860 923 301 4,202 1,025 7,311
---------- ------------ ---------- ------------- ---------------- --------
Fair value of acquisition 860 923 301 5,771 1,045 8,900
Settled by:
Immediate cash consideration
(net of cash acquired) 441 527 170 2,237 530 3,905
Contingent cash consideration 410 396 131 1,874 479 3,290
---------- ------------ ---------- ------------- ---------------- --------
Total (net of cash acquired) 851 923 301 4,111 1,009 7,195
---------- ------------ ---------- ------------- ---------------- --------
The contingent consideration is payable on the first and second
anniversaries of each acquisition and is based on actual trail income
from the portfolios with no cap, with the exception of AE Financial
Services Ltd, which has a cap of GBP5,922,000 on the total consideration
payable.
The contingent consideration is discounted to present value and
adjusted annually when forecasts are updated or when payments become
certain. Adjustments go through the income statement.
8. Dividends
2018 2017
GBP'000 GBP'000
Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders:
Ordinary
Interim dividend paid: 1.00p per ordinary share
(2017: nil) 625 -
Final dividend paid: 2.24p per ordinary share
(2017: 2.00p per ordinary share) 1,401 1,251
2,026 1,251
========= ========
An interim dividend for the year ended 31 October 2018 of 1.08
pence per ordinary share was declared on 3 July 2018 and paid on
9 November 2018 totalling GBP675,464 (2017: GBP625,429). The interim
dividend was still at the discretion of the Directors at 31 October
2018 and has not therefore been included as a liability in these
financial statements.
The proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 October 2018
is:
Total
GBP'000
Proposed final dividend: 2.42 pence per ordinary
share of 0.25 pence 1,514
========
The proposed final dividend is subject to approval by Shareholders
and has not been included as a liability in these financial statements.
The dividend will be paid on 10 May 2019 to Shareholders on the
register at close of business on 26 April 2019.
9. Events after the reporting date
2018 Interim dividend
On 9 November 2018, the Company paid an interim dividend of 1.08
pence per ordinary share based on the register of Shareholders at
close of business on 27 October 2018 totalling GBP675,464.
Acquisition of GD White (Independent Financial Advisers)
On 18 January 2019, the Group exchanged contracts to purchase
the trade and assets of GD White (Independent Financial Advisers).
The purchase price is expected to be cGBP1.5m, payable 50% on
completion (expected to be on 1 May 2019) and a further two
instalments of 25% and 25% which are due to be paid on the first
and second anniversaries of completion, contingent upon
results.
This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the
London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct
Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United
Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution
of this information may apply. For further information, please
contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
END
FR CKBDNFBKDQDB
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