Final Results

4th Nov 2009 07:00



Ultrasis plc

Final results for the year ended 31 July 2009

Highlights: 

Profit before tax of £704,000 (2008: loss of £343,000), the first in the group's history. 

Revenue of £4,168,000 (2008: £2,614,000), an increase of 59% over the prior year.

Deferred income of £2,673,000 (2008: £2,142,000).

Strong cash generation.

Remains debt free, with year-end cash balances of £2,858,000 (2008: £2,036,000).

Acquisition of GetFit Technologies Limited which contributed £197,000 revenue and £91,000 profit before tax since acquisition in December 2008.

Chief Executive, Nigel Brabbins commented on the results

"I am delighted to have reported our maiden profit in a year of substantial progress. GetFit has now been fully integrated and is now making a significant contribution to profits. "Beating the Blues" continues roll out to the NHS and post year end achieved a significant contract win in Northern Ireland. We are well positioned to exploit opportunities in overseas markets. The Board looks forward to further progress in the year ahead."

For further information please contact: 

Ultrasis plc: 

Nigel Brabbins, Chief Executive +44 (0) 20 7566 3900 

[email protected] www.ultrasis.com 

FinnCap, Nominated Adviser 

and Joint Broker 

Geoff Nash +44 (0) 20 7600 1658 

www. finncap.com 

Marshall Securities, Joint Broker: 

John Webb +44 (0) 20 7490 3788 

Media enquiries: 

JBP Public Relations 

Karen White/Sarah Rice: +44 (0) 117 9073400 

  

Chairman and Chief Executive's Statement

Highlights

This has been a year of substantial achievement. We report a full year profit before tax of £704,000 (2008: Loss of £343,000), the first in the group's history. Revenue was £4,168,000 (2008: £2,614,000) an increase of 59% with deferred income of £2,673,000 (2008: £2,142,000). 

The need to provide top quality service support for our customer base means that our cost base has grown, but we are careful to link this development to our revenue and avoid any unnecessary overheads. Earnings per share were 0.21p (2008: loss per share of 0.023p). Adjusted earnings per share which exclude the impact of a substantial deferred tax credit and the non cash accounting charge related to share based payments were 0.07p (2008: 0.015p).

During the year penetration of the NHS market has increased, with "Beating the Blues" now available in 120 of the 153 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England. We also made progress with the GetFit products following the acquisition of GetFit Technologies Limited in December 2008. Since the year end we have announced the launch of a Dutch version of "Beating the Blues" and a major contract win in Northern Ireland which will see "Beating the Blues" available to all GPs in the province.

The UK market

The NHS remains a key market in which we have steadily increased our coverage. "Beating the Blues", our National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended treatment for depression, is now available in 120 of the 153 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England. The extent of underlying coverage varies from PCT to PCT. We were pleased to see Yorkshire and Humber becoming the fifth Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to complete a regional procurement of "Beating the Blues" for its PCTs. 

In July 2009 we announced the contract renewal by East Midlands SHA, taking its PCTs in to a third year of provision of "Beating the Blues". This demonstrates the value that commissioners, based on experience, place on making this available within their PCTs. Once traction has been gained within the NHS it is gratifying when it is retained. At a time of increasing public expenditure constraint in the NHS we continue to emphasise the excellent cost benefit proposition "Beating the Blues" provides for health care commissioners.

A major contract win in Northern Ireland (NI) was announced on 9 October 2009- the eve of World Mental Health Day - by Michael McGimpsey the NI Health Minister. The contract, which runs to March 2012, is for an initial £1.125m with potential to rise to £2m over its lifetime. The choice of "Beating the Blues" is a key component of the Northern Ireland Department of Health's strategy of addressing mental health issues comprehensively. "Beating the Blues" is being made available in every GP practice in Northern Ireland and will provide an alternative to prescription of anti depressants, or putting patients on long waiting lists for face to face treatment. 

In December 2008 Ultrasis acquired GetFit Technologies Limited which owns an award-winning range of physical wellness programmes. These complement our emotional wellbeing product range. The GetFit product set has already facilitated our winning business with Sodexo Inc in the USA, NHS West Midlands and NHS Suffolk. The latter entered a 3 year contract to deliver its community initiative, "Healthy Ambitions Suffolk", the recipient of a coveted Royal Society for Public Health award for work undertaken to improve the health and wellbeing of the county. These successes and other opportunities that have opened up following the GetFit acquisition vindicate the strategy of adding this additional arm to our business. 

Impact of latest NICE Guidelines 

On 28 October 2009, NICE announced updated guidelines on the treatment of depression, recognising Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT) as a mainstream treatment of choice for mild and moderate depression. Two new guidelines have been issued, one for depression in adults and the other for depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem. These new guidelines supersede the previous technical appraisal (TA097 - Feb 2006) on CCBT and now constitute the authoritative documents determining how people suffering with depression should be treated.

We believe that this initiative will be positive for Ultrasis. From being a pioneer in the use of a little known but innovative treatment for depression - CCBT - Ultrasis has established itself the market leading provider of a NICE supported mainstream therapy, in a strong position to meet challenges posed by current competitors and potential market entrants. The NICE announcement opens up many new opportunities for Ultrasis as it, in effect, affirms that "Beating the Blues" has demonstrated both cost and clinical effectiveness. Although more than 75% of PCTs in England are already using "Beating the Blues" there remains significant scope to extend the levels of coverage within some of those PCTs. We believe we can secure wider adoption as our message of improving patient choice and speeding access to affordable, cost effective treatment is increasingly heard.

The new NICE guidelines broaden the application for CCBT and will significantly increase the number of people for which "Beating the Blues" is an appropriate treatment. The NICE Guidelines for Depression now recommend CCBT for people with persistent subthreshold depressive symptoms (as well as mild and moderate depression) and also for treatment of depression in people with a chronic physical illness. There may be up to twice as many people with sub threshold depressive symptoms as there are people with mild and moderate depression and the prevalence of depression in people with a chronic physical health problem is also much higher.

International

We continue to develop opportunities in international markets and announced recently that our partner Innohealth B.V. has completed a Dutch language version of "Beating the Blues", launched in the Netherlands in October 2009. Importantly "Beating the Blues" has now been recognised by the Dutch Healthcare Insurance Board, CVZ, as a reimbursable treatment for mild to moderate depression. "Beating the Blues" can now be offered by practitioners throughout the Netherlands as one of their options in treating patients with mild and moderate depression. Quick adoption in the Netherlands is anticipated with Ultrasis benefitting from an exclusivity fee and royalty stream from Innohealth. Having successfully completed this first translated version we are well positioned to look at further opportunities in other markets

The completion of the Dutch translation of Beating the Blues and launch in the Netherlands was a significant milestone for Ultrasis both from a technical standpoint and because the quality, efficacy and cost effectiveness of "Beating the Blues" have been accepted and adopted for the treatment of mild and moderate depression in another country. We have developed with this the ability to integrate other language versions much more quickly into our technology platform.

We are receiving increasing interest from parties in other countries looking to provide "Beating the Blues" in their markets and will continue to seek to develop these interests into commercial opportunities. We are also in further discussions in the US with a number of potential customers and business partners. We hope to be able to report further progress in the coming months. 

Financial Results:

The Group reports a full year maiden profit before tax of £704,000, the first in the group's history (2008: loss of £343,000). Group revenue was £4,168,000 (2008: £2,614,000), an increase of 59%. Deferred revenue of £2,673,000 (2008: £2,142,000) provides a base for the next year's performance. 

In accordance with IFRS 2 the Group has incurred a non-cash charge of £391,000 (2008: £566,000) in respect of share options. Other administrative expenses were £3,068,000 (2008: £2,188,000) and included unbudgeted costs of £122,000 incurred in connection with arrangements for and legal advice taken in respect of both an Extraordinary General Meeting of the company called by a minority shareholder group and the following AGM. The remainder of the increase is mostly attributable to strengthening the Ultrasis team to meet implementation and service requirements in the NHS and taking on additional GetFit personnel.

GetFit Technologies Limited contributed £197,000 to the Group's revenue and £91,000 to the Group's profit before tax for the period from the date of acquisition to the year-end date.

Earnings per share of 0.21p (2008: loss per share of 0.023p). Adjusted earnings per share which exclude the impact of a substantial deferred tax credit and the non cash accounting charge related to share based payments were 0.07p (2008: 0.015p). 

Cash generation remains very strong and at 31 July 2009. Group cash balances were £2,858,000 (2008: £2,036,000). The Group remains debt free.

Outlook

Ultrasis is well established in the core NHS market and has expanded its product range and customer base in the UK market. We are now making progress in overseas markets. The impact of the current global financial climate and impending constraints on public spending on our markets is as yet uncertain but we are confident that Ultrasis will continue to develop its business, building on the market leading position it now enjoys for its portfolio of cost effective therapies and its sound financial base. In 2010 we will seek growth organically, by penetrating new markets and, should an appropriate opportunity present itself, by strategic acquisition. The Board looks forward to further progress in the year ahead.

Gerald Malone Nigel Brabbins

Non Executive Chairman Chief Executive Officer

3 November 2009  

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT for the year ended 31 July 2009

				2009		2008
		Notes		£'000		£'000
Revenue				4,168		2,614
Cost of sales				(32)		(230)
Gross profit				4,136		2,384
Administrative expenses
- Share based payments				(391)		(566)
- Other				(3,068)		(2,188)
				(3,459)		(2,754)
Operating profit/(loss)
Before share based payments				1,068		196
Share based payments				(391)		(566)
				677		(370)
Finance costs				(6)		(6)
Finance income				33		33
				27		27
Profit/(loss) before taxation				704		(343)
Taxation		4		2,496		-
Profit/(loss) for the period				3,200		(343)
Earnings/(loss)per share		3
Basic earnings/(loss) per share (p)				0.21		(0.023)
Diluted earnings/(loss)per share (p)				0.21		(0.023)

  

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY for the year ended 31 July 2009

	Share capital	Share premium	Share option reserve	Capital reduction reserve	Merger reserve	Translation reserve	Retained losses	Total
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Balance brought forward	1,478	21,104	670	6,650	2,324	(29)	(29,657)	2,540
1 August 2007
Foreign exchange translation differences on foreign currency	-	-	-	-	-	4	-	4
Retained loss for the year	-	-	-	-	-	-	(343)	(343)
Total recognised income & expense for the period	-	-	-	-	-	4	(343)	(339)
Movement on share option reserve	-	-	566	-	-	-	-	566
Balance carried forward	1,478	21,104	1,236	6,650	2,324	(25)	(30,000)	2,767
31 July 2008
	Share Capital	Share Premium	Share Option reserve	Capital reduction reserve	Merger reserve	Translation Reserve	Retained losses	Total
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Balance Brought forward	1,478	21,104	1,236	6,650	2,324	(25)	(30,000)	2,767
1 August 2008
Foreign exchange translation differences on foreign currency	-	-	-	-	-	30	-	30
Retained profit for the year	-	-	-	-	-	-	3,200	3,200
Total recognised income & expense for the period	-	-	-	-	-	30	3,200	3,230
New shares issues	30	198	-	-	-	-	-	228
Movement on share option reserve	-	-	391	-	-	-	-	391
Balance carried forward 31 July 2009	1,508	21,302	1,627	6,650	2,324	5	(26,800)	6,616

  

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET as at 31 July 2009

				31-Jul		31-Jul
				2009		2008
				£'000		£'000
Non-current assets
Intangible assets				2,925		2,717
Plant and equipment				41		45
Deferred tax assets				2,496		-
Total non-current assets				5,462		2,762
Current assets
Inventories				15		19
Trade and other receivables				1,728		708
Cash and cash equivalents				2,858		2,036
Total current assets				4,601		2,763
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables				(3,447)		(2,758)
Total current liabilities				(3,447)		(2,758)
Net current assets				1,154		5
Net assets				6,616		2,767
Equity
Share capital				1,508		1,478
Share premium				21,302		21,104
Share option reserve				1,627		1,236
Capital reduction reserve				6,650		6,650
Merger reserve				2,324		2,324
Translation reserve				5		(25)
Retained losses				(26,800)		(30,000)
				6,616		2,767

  

CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT for the year ended 31 July 2009

2009 2008 £'000 £'000 Cash generated from operations Operating profit/(loss) 677 (370) Share based payments 391 566 Depreciation charge 19 19 Amortisation of intangible fixed assets 149 26 Decrease in inventories 4 8 (Increase)/decrease in receivables (994) 221 Increase in payables 625 861     Net cash generated from operating activities 871 1,331 Investing activities Interest received 33 33 Purchases of intangible fixed asset (23) (178) Purchases of plant and equipment (6) (27) Acquisition of Getfit Technologies (30) Net cash generated in investing activities (26) (172)   Financing activities Interest paid (6) (6)     Net cash used in financing activities (6) (6)   Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 839 1,153 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 2,036 879 Effects of exchange rate changes on the balance of cash (17) 4 held in foreign currencies     Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 2,858 2,036

  

Notes to the preliminary statement 

Nature of financial information 

The financial information set out in this announcement does not comprise the Group's statutory accounts for the years ended 31 July 2009 or 31 July 2008.

 

The financial information has been extracted from the statutory accounts of the Company for the years ended 31 July 2009 and 31 July 2008. The auditors reported on those accounts; their reports were unqualified and did not contain a statement under either Section 498 (2) or Section 498 (3) of the Companies Act 2006 or Section 237 (2) or Section 237 (3) of the Companies Act 1985 respectively and did not include references to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis.

 

The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 July 2008 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, whereas those for the year ended 31 July 2009 were approved by the board on 3rd November 2009 and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting.

The financial information set out in this announcement has been prepared on a basis consistent with the accounting policies for year ended 31 July 2009 which were unchanged from the year ended 31 July 2008 and were disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts for that year.

 

2. Share based payments

The charge to the income statement for the year in respect of share options issued to directors and staff was £391,000 (2008: £566,000). There were no options awarded in the year ended 31 July 2009.

 

 

3. Earnings/(Loss) per share

	Pence per share
	2009	2008
Basic earnings/(loss) per share	0.21	(0.023)
Diluted earnings /(loss) per share	0.21	(0.023)
Adjusted earnings per share	0.07	0.015
Adjusted diluted earnings per share	0.07	0.015

Alternative basic earnings per share is calculated based on earnings after interest but excludes the charge for share based payments and the credit for deferred tax both of which have a non-cash effect. 

The calculation of diluted adjusted earnings per share assumes conversion of all potentially dilutive ordinary shares, all of which arise from share options.

The calculations of earnings/(loss) per share are based on the following loss and numbers of shares:

	Basic and diluted
	2009	2008
	£'000	£'000
Profit/(loss) for the financial year	3,200	(343)
Add: Share based payments	391	566
Less: Deferred tax credit	(2,496)	-
	_______	_______
Adjusted earnings for the financial year	1,095	223
	_______	_______
	Number	Number
	of shares	of shares
	2009	2008
Weighted average number of shares for basic earnings/(loss) per share:	1,494,611,416	1,478,070,955
	____________	____________
Weighted average number of shares for diluted earnings/(loss) per share:	1,494,611,416	1,478,070,955
	____________	____________

  

 

4. Taxation

i. Tax credit 

The tax credit for the period comprises: 

	2009	2008
	£'000	£'000
Deferred Tax	2,496	-

ii) Factors Affecting Tax charge for the Current Year

The tax assessed for the year is lower than that resulting from applying the standard rate of corporation tax (28%).

The differences are explained below:

		2009	2008
		%	%
Standard rate of tax applying to profits/(loss) on ordinary activities before tax		28	(29)
		__________	__________
Effect of:
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes		17	51
Tax losses not recognised		34	46
Capital allowances for period greater than depreciation		(2)	(8)
Utilisation of tax losses		(77)	(59)
Recognition of deferred tax assets		(356)	-
Net effect of overseas business		-	(1)
		__________	__________
Total tax credit rate for the year as a percentage of profit/(loss)		(356)	-
		__________	__________

iii) Factors that may affect the future tax charge

Amounts of unprovided deferred tax assets are as follows:

	2009		2008
Applicable tax rate	28%		28%
	£'000		£'000
Trading Losses and other losses	2,466		4,589
Capital Losses	1,912		1,912
Depreciation in excess of capital allowances	3		79
Fair value adjustments	(487)		(487)
	3,894		6,093

Deferred tax assets of £2,496,000 have been recognised during the period (2008: £nil). £2,435,000 relates to accumulated tax losses in relation to previous trading losses and £61,000 relates to depreciation in excess of capital allowances, both of which are available for offset in future periods. Now that the Group has moved into profit the Directors consider it more likely than not that in the foreseeable future there will be suitable taxable profits against which the tax losses can be offset. Hence, in line with IFRS guidance, they are now being recognised as an asset in the accounts.   

5. Acquisition of subsidiary

On 18 December 2008, the Group acquired 100 per cent of the issued share capital of GetFit Technologies Limited in a share for share exchange.

GetFit Technologies Limited's principal activity is the development and provision of Interactive Fitness and Wellbeing software. This transaction has been accounted for using the purchase method of accounting.

Net assets acquired:	Book value		Fair value adjustments		Fair value
	£'000		£'000		£'000
Plant and equipment	9				9
Intangible Fixed Assets	119		216		335
Trade and other payables	(71)				(71)
Trade and other receivables	3				3
	60		216		276

Consideration comprised :		Consideration
		£'000
26,832,303 ordinary shares issued on 18 December 2008 valued at 0.76 pence per share (being the average mid market price of Ultrasis shares for the period of 10 days prior to acquisition).		204
2,950,000 ordinary shares issued on 31 July 2009 valued at 0.8105 pence per share (being the average mid market price of Ultrasis shares for the period of 10 days prior to issue).		24
Costs associated with the acquisition		48
		276

The fair values attributed to the individual assets and liabilities acquired are provisional and will be reviewed again during the next financial year.

If the acquisition of GetFit Technologies Limited had been completed on the first day of the financial year, group revenues for the period would have been £4,506,000 and group profit attributable to equity holders of the parent would have been £3,265,000. GetFit Technologies Limited and its subsidiary, Getfitwellness Limited, contributed £197,000 to the Group's revenue and £91,000 to the Group's profit before tax for the period from the date of acquisition to the yearend date.

6. Annual Report and Accounts 

Copies of the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 July 2009 will be posted to shareholders in due course and will be available to download from the Company's website www.ultrasis.com.

ENDFR KXLBBKFBLFBL

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Related Shares:

Ultrasis Plc