7th Mar 2019 08:26
LONDON (Alliance News) - Informa PLC on Thursday reported a strong increase in its annual revenue, rising 35%, which helped deliver an increase in profit.
For 2018, the events and publishing company's revenue jumped to GBP2.37 billion from GBP1.76 billion a year ago.
This led to pretax profit rising 5.2% to GBP282.1 million from GBP268.2 million.
"In 2018, the Informa Group delivered a fifth consecutive year of improving growth, increasing adjusted profits, adjusted earnings per share, cashflow and dividends," Chief Executive Stephen Carter said.
By division, Global Exhibitions saw revenue up 2.7% to GBP575.8 million, Academic Publishing up 0.6% to GBP533.2 million, and Business Intelligence up 0.6% to GBP385.6 million.
The only division which saw revenue fall was Knowledge & Networking, slipping 7.6% to GBP261.4 million from GBP283.0 million a year ago.
Looking ahead, Carter added: "In 2019, our focus is on continuing Performance & Growth as we consolidate our market positions and further reduce complexity. This will enable us to make the most of our increased operating scale and industry specialisation, creating attractive opportunities for incremental growth and returns."
The company is in a "good position" to manage macro-economic cycles including the current volatility due to Brexit and US-China tensions.
Furthermore, the company hiked its total dividend 7.1% to 21.90 pence per share from 20.45p. Going forward, the company added it remains committed to paying "attractive, progressive dividends".
Informa shares were trading up 2.1% at 726.80p each early Thursday.
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