23rd May 2011 07:00
Ultima Networks PLC
23 May 2011
ANNOUNCEMENT OF AUDITED RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2010
ULTIMA NETWORKS PLC
("Ultima" or the "Company")
23 May 2011
The Directors are pleased to announce the audited results of the company and its subsidiaries (the "Group" or the "Ultima Group") for the year ended 31 December 2010.
The Ultima Group's operations consist of three divisions: IT Services, Green technology products and Green power. These divisions are involved respectively in the sale of software to the legal profession, the development and sale of specialist electrical goods and the development of clean power generation through solar installations in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Operational highlights of 2010:
·; Successful launch of Infineum Continental Electric Bicycle
·; Grant of Patent protecting core technology used in the Infineum Electric Bicycles
·; Connection of 100KW Solar Park to Spanish National Grid
·; Award of development grant by Valencia Energy Agency towards deployment of 10KW solar installation based on concentrated solar cell technology.
·; Launch of Free Solar Energy for Schools initiative
·; Launch of "Cognito FiLOS" legal software suite
Financial highlights:
·; Group revenue up 2.8% - 2010: £1,919,000 (2009: £1,867,000)
·; Group administration expenses down 13.8% - 2010: £807,000 (2009: £936,000)
·; Operating profit up 61.1% - 2010: £356,000 (2009: £221,000)
·; Profit on ordinary activities before taxation for the year up 65.0% - 2010: £353,000 (2009: £214,000)
·; Earnings per share of 0.13p (2009: 0.10p)
·; Consolidated statement of financial position, net assets up 12.6% to £2,957,000 (31 December 2009: £2,627,000)
Chairman's statement
Introduction
I am pleased to report that despite difficult trading conditions, the Group made progress and increased pre-tax profit by 65%. During the year, all divisions announced the launch of new products which have contributed to the improvement in profitability. Product development is an essential element of the Group strategy of continuous investment in research and the development and deployment of new products and services. The Group's green power division commenced operation of its first solar park in Spain and has been awarded a grant by the Valencia Energy Agency to develop and deploy a small scale solar installation based on concentrated PV technology. IT Services has seen growth in net revenues and has launched its FiLos legal software suite which is expected to accelerate growth during 2011. The Green technology products division released several new models to supplement its Infineum electric bicycle range, and although market conditions continue to impact demand for consumer products, has seen an increase in turnover and profitability and expects strong growth during 2011. The last financial year saw an overall increase in sales and operating profit across the Group.
IT services division
The IT services division made an operating profit of £377,000 (2009:£237,000) on sales of £831,000 (2009:£816,000). This division provides computer application software and related support and other services to small and medium size legal practices in England and Wales. The division operates from two locations (Midlands and South West England) under the name "Cognito Software Limited". The divisions' management team has focused on the maintenance of high quality customer support and extending the depth of its client base during a year which has seen major restructuring within the legal profession. After 3 years of development the division added to its range of copyrighted products with the launch of the FiLos legal software suite. This is a major investment for Cognito and is expected to accelerate growth in its client base by attracting interest from larger legal practices. The division is continuing its investment in FiLos to further develop the scope and range of the software and appeal to larger firms.
The outlook for the division is for continued improvement in overall performance and profitability based on continued product development and a focus on ensuring the deployment of new products to a wider customer base.
The legal software market has seen substantial consolidation through 2010 which is expected to continue during 2011 as the changes in legal aid support take effect. The division is actively reviewing opportunities to grow through carefully targeted acquisitions and continues to review a number of potential targets.
Green technology products division
The green technology products division made an operating profit of £3,000 (2009:£11,000) on sales of £1,088,000 (£2009:£1,023,000). The division has had continuous success with sales of Powacycle, its budget range of branded electric bicycles, and sales of its premium "Infineum" range of electric bicycles. Trading conditions within the UK remain depressed as the demand for luxury products continues to be undermined by the general economic conditions however the division has seen growth of sales into continental Europe and a substantial increase in its order book. Sales growth is expected to continue during 2011 supported by the launch of new models based upon the divisions patented technology. The new models will widen market coverage and are expected to increase market share and lead to improvement in the division's profitability.
Green power division
The 100KW solar park installed in Spain is operating and generating revenue based on the fixed revenue of 32 euro cents for a period of 25 years. The completion of the project has led to the award of a grant by the Valencia Energy Agency towards the design and deployment of a small scale solar installation using the latest solar PV technology. The division announced a United Kingdom based initiative aimed at supplying mid range solar energy projects to schools and the Ministry of Defence. Pilot marketing has resulted in a large number of enquiries which the division is following up. The schemes are based upon the supply of PV solutions without capital cost to the participating organisation, with the division receiving revenue through the receipt of the government backed feed-in tariff scheme introduced into the United Kingdom in April 2010.
The division continues to negotiate with ENEL Spa to finalise a timescale for connecting the proposed Italian solar parks to the Italian high voltage grid. Work has been completed on the construction of a security fence to protect the 22 hectares of land acquired by the company in the Puglia region of Southern Italy. The demand for solar parks based upon concentrated PV is increasing in Italy with the division well placed to demonstrate its ability to deploy this technology.
Group Results
In the year ended 31st December 2010, the group achieved sales of £1,919, 000 (2009:£1,867,000) with operating profit of £356,000 (2009:£221,000).
The pre-tax profit of the group was £353,000 (2009:£214,000). The taxation expense was (£11,000) (2009:£Nil) and therefore the profit for the financial year was £364,000 (2009:£214,000).
The Group had cash at the bank of £663,000 (2009:£886,000). Any balance of cash funds not required for working capital purposes is being placed on short term bank deposit to try and maximise interest receivable. Cash was utilised in the year in the development of solar parks in Spain and the additional cost incurred in the development of solar parks in Italy and the United Kingdom. Cash was also used to fund continued development of software by the IT products division and the design of electric bicycles by the Green products division.
Outlook
Despite the tough economic conditions the outlook for the Group is positive based on a very strong growth in the order book and growing revenue. The group philosophy continues to be based on the pursuit of low risk recurring revenues and continued development of environmentally friendly products. We maintain the view that the professional services sector offer opportunities for growth through selective acquisition.
Our investment in new technology for all operating divisions has improved the group's competitive position and is expected to lead to a continued growth in sales.
We will be releasing further news on product launches and developments in the Green Power division in the coming months.
Enquiries:
Ultima Networks plc
Prof. Humayun Mughal +44(0)1279 821200
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Allenby Capital Limited (nominated adviser and broker)
Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Dan Robinson +44(0)203 328 5656
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2010
|
2010 £000
|
|
2009 £000
| ||
Revenue
| 1,919 | 1,867 | |||
Cost of sales
| (761) | (713) | |||
Gross profit
| 1,158 | 1,154 | |||
Administration expenses
| (807) | (936) | |||
Other operating income
| 5 | 3 | |||
Operating profit
| 356 | 221 | |||
Finance income
| (3) | (7) | |||
Profit before taxation
| 353 | 214 | |||
Taxation recovery
| 11 | - | |||
Profit for the year |
364 |
214 | |||
Other comprehensive income: Exchange difference on translating foreign operations | (34) | 41 | |||
Total comprehensive income for the year attributable to equity holders of the parent | 330 | 255 | |||
Basic and diluted earnings per share - pence
|
0.13 |
0.10 |
All amounts relate to continuing activities
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2010
2010 £000 | 2009 £000 | ||||
ASSETS | |||||
Non current assets | |||||
Property, plant and equipment | 1,223 | 1,171 | |||
Intangible assets - development costs | 843 | 464 | |||
Goodwill | 118 | 118 | |||
Intangible assets - other | 163 | 172 | |||
Deferred tax assets | - | - | |||
Total non current assets | 2,347 | 1,925 | |||
Current assets | |||||
Inventories | 419 | 339 | |||
Trade and other receivables | 564 | 637 | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | 663 | 886 | |||
Total current assets | 1,646 | 1,862 | |||
Total assets | 3,993 | 3,787 | |||
LIABILITIES | |||||
Non current Liabilities | |||||
Deferred tax | 48 | 45 | |||
Total non current liabilities | 48 | 45 | |||
Current liabilities | |||||
Trade and other payables | 543 | 711 | |||
Current tax liabilities | 110 | 111 | |||
Accruals and deferred income | 335 | 293 | |||
Total current liabilities | 988 | 1,115 | |||
Total liabilities | 1,036 | 1,160 | |||
Net assets | 2,957 | 2,627 |
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2010
| |||||
2010 £000 | 2009 £000 | ||||
EQUITY | |||||
Capital and reserves attributable to equity holders of the parent | |||||
Called up share capital | 8,269 | 8,269 | |||
Share premium account | 5,831 | 5,831 | |||
Other reserves | 202 | 202 | |||
Retained Earnings | (11,352) | (11,716) | |||
Translation of foreign operations | 7 | 41 | |||
2,957 | 2,627 |
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2010
2010 £000 | 2009 £000 | ||||
Profit for the financial year | 364 | 214 | |||
Taxation expense | (11) | - | |||
Interest | 3 | 7 | |||
Depreciation charges | 8 | 14 | |||
Amortisation of intangibles | 39 | 33 | |||
Operating profit before changes in working capital | 403 | 268 | |||
Decrease/(Increase) in inventories | (80) | 113 | |||
Decrease/(Increase) in trade and other receivables | 73 | (233) | |||
(Decrease)/increase in trade payables and other capital liabilities | (109) | 624 | |||
Cash (used in)/generated from operations | 287 | 772 | |||
Taxation | (14) | (17) | |||
Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities | 273 | 755 | |||
Cash flows from investing activities | |||||
Purchase of property, plant and equipment | ( 81) | (518) | |||
Development expenditure | (412) | (410) | |||
Other intangibles | - | - | |||
Net proceeds of ordinary shares issue | - | 944 | |||
Net cash used in investing activities | (493) | 16 | |||
Cash flows from financing activities | |||||
Interest received | (3) | (7) | |||
Net cash generated from financing activities | (3) | (7) | |||
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents | (223) | 764 | |||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period | 886 | 122 | |||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period | 663 | 886 |
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2010 | |||||||
| Called up share capital £000 | Share premium
£000 | Other reserves
£000 | Retained earnings
£000 | Translation of foreign operations
£000 | Total Equity
£000 | |
Year ended 31 December 2010 | |||||||
As 1 January 2010 | 8,269 | 5,831 | 202 | (11,716) | 41 | 2,627 | |
Total comprehensive income for the year |
- |
- |
- |
364 |
(34) |
330 | |
At 31 December 2010 | 8,269 | 5,831 | 202 | (11,352) | 7 | 2,957 | |
| |||||||
Year ended 31 December 2009 | |||||||
As 1 January 2009 | 7,554 | 5,602 | 202 | (11,930) | - | 1,428 | |
Issue of share capital | 715 | 229 | - | - | 944 | ||
Total comprehensive income for the year |
- |
- |
- |
214 |
41 |
255 | |
At 31 December 2009 | 8,269 | 5,831 | 202 | (11,716) | 41 | 2,627 |
The Group operates in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
At 31 December 2010, the Group is organised into three principal business segments:
·; IT and related services (comprising legal and publishing application software)
·; Green technology (comprising electric bicycles, energy saving lamps, educational electronic kits)
·; Green power involved in the development of solar power parks
The segmental results for the year ended 31 December 2010 are as follows:
IT and related services UK £000 | Green technology UK £000 | Green Power ITALY £000 | Unallocated
£000 | Group
£000 | ||
Revenue | 831 | 1,088 | - | - | 1,919 | |
Depreciation | 2 | 2 | - | 4 | 8 | |
Amortisation | 10 | 24 | 5 | - | 39 | |
Interest payable | - | 2 | - | 1 | 3 | |
Operating profit/(loss) | 377 | 3 | (24) | - |
356 | |
The segmental results for the year ended 31 December 2009 were as follows:
IT and related services UK £000 | Green technology UK £000 | Green Power ITALY £000 | Unallocated
£000 | Group
£000 | |||
Revenue | 816 | 1,023 | - | 28 | 1,867 | ||
Depreciation | 6 | 4 | - | 4 | 14 | ||
Amortisation | 12 | 16 | 5 | - | 33 | ||
Interest payable | - | 5 | - | 2 | 7 | ||
Operating profit/(loss) | 237 | 11 | (27) | - | 221 | ||
The other information of the segments are as follows:
| |||||||
2010 | IT and related services UK £000 | Green technology UK £000 | Green Power Italy £000 | Unallocated
£000 | Group
£000 | ||
Segment assets | 642 | 1,283 | 927 | 1,141 | 3,993 | ||
Segment liabilities | (253) | (288) | (49) | (446) | (1,036) | ||
Net assets | 389 | 995 | 878 | 695 | 2,957 | ||
STATEMENT
This statement was approved by the directors on 20 May 2011. This statement does not constitute the Group's statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2010. Statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2009 have been delivered to the Registrar of companies. The auditor's report on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain any statement under section 495 of the Companies Act 2006. The auditor's report for the accounts to 31 December 2010 is unqualified.
The Annual Report and Accounts, including the notice of annual general meeting for 2010, will be made available to the shareholders and the public on the Company's web site (http://www.ultima-networks.co.uk) over the next few days and the Company will make a further announcement in this regard at the appropriate date.
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