31st May 2007 07:03
Pennon Group PLC31 May 2007 PENNON GROUP PLC 31 May 2007 PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2007 Pennon Group announces its unaudited results for the year ended 31 March 2007. A presentation for City audiences will be held today, 31 May 2007, at 11:30 at TheGreat Eastern Hotel, Liverpool Street, London, EC2. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS • Operating profit (1) up 14.2% to £201.8m. - South West Water up 10.8% to £156.8m. - Viridor up 30.4% to £46.8m. • Profit before tax (2) up 18.2% to £131.1m. • Earnings per share up 20.2% to 30.3p. (3) • Dividend - Recommended final dividend per share up 8.5% to 12.7p. - Full year dividend up 7.8% to 18.55p. - Dividend policy of 3% per annum real increases until 2009/10. • 3 for 1 stock split took place July 2006. (1) Before amortisation of intangibles, and exceptional items in 2005/06 (2) Before exceptional items in 2005/06 (3) Before deferred tax, and exceptional items in 2005/06. Basic earnings per share are 26.5p (2005/06 - 9.9p) OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS • South West Water : - On target to deliver 2005 - 2010 Regulatory Contract. - Profit increase reflecting strong growth in Regulatory Capital Value 2005 - 2010. - South West bathing waters 100% compliant with EU mandatory standards (all 144 beaches for the first time). - Tenth consecutive year without hosepipe bans and drought orders. - Drinking water quality sustained at all time high as direct result of mains rehabilitation. - Capital investment of £184.0m, 117% of operating profit. - All major projects delivered in line with Regulators' expectations. - Preparing for PR09. • Viridor : - Particularly strong growth in operating profits. - Preferred bidder (consortium with John Laing) status achieved for the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority PFI contract. - Wyvern Waste Services Limited acquisition fully integrated and earnings enhancing in its first ten months. • Long-term waste management PPP contract secured with Somerset County Council. - Skipaway Holdings Limited acquired in February for £14.7m. - Lakeside (joint venture with Grundon) energy from waste plant under construction and on schedule to open in 2008. The Chairman, Ken Harvey, said, "I am delighted to report an excellent year forPennon. These results demonstrate further profitable growth in the Group and affirmour strategy of focusing on our two key businesses, South West Water and Viridor.South West Water remains on target to meet the current regulatory contract andViridor has had an outstanding year delivering a particularly strong performancebased on both organic growth and successful acquisitions as a result of its focusedstrategy. "The Board has noted the recent rise in the Group's share price, but is not awareof any particular reason for the movement. The Group will continue to pursue itsdeclared strategy." For further information today, 31 May 2007, please contact : David Dupont Group Director of Finance - Pennon ) Jo Finely Investor Relations Manager - Pennon ) 0207 251 3801Mark Harris/ Sally Hogan Finsbury Group ) GROUP OVERVIEW • Revenue rose by 15.9% to £748.3m. • Operating profit before amortisation of intangibles rose by 14.2% to £201.8m. (1) • Profit before tax was up 18.2% to £131.1m (1) • Earnings per share from continuing operations and before deferred tax increased by 20.2% from 25.2p (1) (2) to 30.3p. Basic earnings per share (after exceptional items in 2005/06) increased from 9.9p (2) to 26.5p. • Capital expenditure was £245.1m (2005/06 - £249.7m). • Net borrowings at 31 March 2007 were £1,557m, an increase of £130m since 31 March 2006. Gearing, being net borrowings to shareholders' funds plus net borrowings, was 71% (2005/06 - 71%). Interest cover was 2.9 times(2005/06 - 2.7 times). South West Water net debt to RCV was 62% (2006 - 62%). • The Board has recommended a final dividend of 12.7p, up 8.5%, subject to shareholder approval. Together with the interim dividend of 5.85p, this will result in a total dividend for the year of 18.55p, an increase of 7.8% on the total dividend for 2005/06. The Board's stated policy is to grow the Group dividend by 3% above inflation per annum up to 2009/10. Shareholders will also be given the opportunity to participate in a Dividend Re-investment Plan, details of which will be circulated in August. (1) Before exceptional items in 2005/06 as detailed in note 5 to the financial statements. (2) Restated for 3 for 1 stock split in July 2006. SOUTH WEST WATER South West Water revenue rose by £33.0m to £381.5m. Approved tariff increases,including the 9.8% K factor, amounted to £43.0m. 7,100 new customer connectionscontributed £3.1m. Customers switching from unmeasured to metered charging caused areduction of £8.0m in revenue. Over 57% of South West Water's domestic customersare now metered. A 2.9% decrease in measured demand reduced turnover by £5.1m. South West Water's operating profit rose 10.8% (before exceptional costs in 2005/06) to £156.8m. Operating costs, excluding depreciation, increased by £11.9m to£147.0m. Additional costs from new capital schemes of £2.7m, inflation of £10.2m(including power costs of £5.5m) and other cost increases of £2.0m (includinginfrastructure expenditure charged to operating costs), were partially offset by£3.0m of efficiency savings. Depreciation increased by £5.8m to £77.7m, primarilyas a result of new capital schemes. The cost of bad debts (part of which is chargedagainst revenue) is rising more slowly than the tariff increase. The company isimplementing detailed plans to ensure it is well on track to achieve the operatingcost efficiency targets set by the Director General of Water Services for theperiod up to 2010. South West Water has put in place a comprehensive strategy to help ensure acontinued secure supply of water for the region. In 2006/07 three of the company'skey reservoirs were again replenished by pumping water from downstream river flowsto supplement the natural rain water inflow. The pump infrastructure was installedseveral years ago to provide enhanced drought protection. Ofwat's latest report onleakage confirms that South West Water remains one of the leading companies inmanaging water leakage and continues to deliver results in line with Ofwat'sleakage target of 84 ML/day. South West Water has achieved Ofwat's leakage targetssince their inception and this year has achieved its lowest ever level of leakage.These activities contributed to the tenth consecutive year of no water restrictionsin our region. In addition, the purchase of Park Lake in November 2006, a former china clay pit onBodmin Moor, is a significant addition to water resources in Cornwall, furtherenhancing their robustness. The new lake will be the region's fourth largestreservoir. Work will now be carried out to build the appropriate infrastructure andit is anticipated that the water from this new source will become available during2007/08 (subject to obtaining the necessary Environment Agency (EA) permissions). Drinking water quality and river water quality have been sustained at an all timehigh and the region features the highest proportion of high quality rivers inEngland. In 2006, for the first time, 100% of the designated bathing waters in theSouth West Water region achieved the EU mandatory standard, and 91.7% achieved theeven more stringent guideline standard. Ofwat's 2005/06 'Levels of Service Report' confirms that South West Water hasmaintained last year's step change improvement in its Overall PerformanceAssessment (OPA) ranking, maintaining its 6th position out of the 10 water andsewerage companies. We expect this position to be consolidated when the 2006/07scores are published later this year. Capital expenditure was £184.0m (2005/06 - £191.0m). £93.6m was invested in watersupply improvements including water mains renovation and water treatment worksenhancement. Continued high levels of investment in the £240m water mainsrenovation programme to replace or reline 3,200kms of water mains will be a keyelement during the remainder of the K4 period. A further 638kms of water mains werelaid, replaced or refurbished during the year, in line with the Drinking WaterInspectorate's (DWI) agreed programme for completion by 2010. Waste water investment expenditure totalled £90.4m for the year. All of the majorprojects in the company's 15 year original 'Clean Sweep' coastal sewage treatmentprogramme have been completed and as noted above the region is now attaining recordlevels of bathing water quality compliance. South West Water continues to deliver capital projects in line with Ofwat, DWI andEA expectations. The company is targeting 5% efficiency outperformance of Ofwat'sallowed K4 capital programme of £762m (2002/03 prices) and is on track to achievethis. 'Service +', a major project to improve the service to customers in relation to thecompany's day to day operational activities and to reduce costs, was launched inOctober 2006. The new Service Centre in Exeter utilises the latest mobile computingtechnology to give quicker, more accurate information to customers on serviceissues as well as better prioritising the work of field operations staff. Thebenefits of the new system are already being seen with a significant reduction inthe number of repeat contacts from customers. 'WaterCare', a ground-breaking new customer care programme, was launched early in2007 targeted at helping those most in need pay their bills by advising them on howto manage better both their water use and household budget. Trained advisors aremeeting with around 2,500 qualifying customers a year in their homes and offering arange of free services including home water audits, advice on potential savingsfrom fitting a meter and advice on receiving financial benefits to which they areentitled. The identification of customers who would benefit from moving on tospecial payment plans enables them to make regular affordable payments, therebyreducing the company's outstanding debt. In preparing for the forthcoming periodic review of prices in 2009 (PR09), a numberof projects are under way to ensure that South West Water is prepared for the newchallenges that lie ahead. The customer contact/billing contract will bere-tendered during 2007 and the company will build on the success of 'Service +'.The role of tariff structures in addressing the agenda of affordability andsustainability is also being reviewed. To meet the twin objectives of service excellence and operational efficiency, SouthWest Water has launched a long-term project, 'Puros', to move the organisationtowards a more centralised operational structure employing increased levels ofautomation and remote working. In the shorter term, a new 'rightsourcing' review isunder way to determine the optimal combination of internal and external resourceprovision. It is expected that the cost of £3m - £4m of ongoing organisationalrestructuring will be provided for in 2007/08. Regulatory Capital Value (RCV) is expected to grow by 34% over the K4 period to£2.6bn by March 2010 - the highest forecast percentage increase of any quoted UKwater company. After adjusting for the step change in gearing following the capitalrestructuring in 2005/06, the company again expects its growth in RCV to outstripsignificantly the anticipated growth in net borrowings over the K4 period. VIRIDOR Viridor traded particularly strongly in 2006/07, building further on the growthachieved over the past six years. Revenue was up £68.8m (23.0%) to £367.7m, ofwhich acquisitions accounted for £39.6m and underlying business £29.2m. Thisincrease included landfill tax of £21.7m. Viridor's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA)rose 24.1% from £66.7m to £82.8m. Operating profit before intangibles amortisation(PBITA) for the year increased by 30.4% (£10.9m) to £46.8m, compared to £35.9m in2005/06. The increase reflected a full year's contribution from last year's BrettWaste Management acquisition, the positive effect of this year's acquisitions(Wyvern Waste and Skipaway), a one-off profit of £0.6m on the disposal of Viridor'sinterest in Devon Waste Management Limited and 12.6% growth in the underlyingbusiness. Profit before tax at £27.6m was up 26.0% on the previous year. Capital expenditurefor the year was £60.9m (2005/06 - £58.9m). Total landfill disposal volumes increased by 9% to 4.7 million tonnes. Totallandfill disposal volumes excluding acquisitions were held constant at 4.3 milliontonnes. Average gate fees rose by 7% to £19 per tonne and margins increased by 50p to over £6 per tonne. At 31 March 2007, Viridor had 90 million cubic metres of landfill capacity, an increase of 3 million over the previous year. This increase reflected the 5 million cubic metres that came with the Wyvern acquisition and 4 million cubic metres of net planning gains at 4 sites, offset by usage of 6 millioncubic metres in the year. Viridor's total power generation output increased by a further 15% in the year to423 GWH. Average prices increased 4.3% to £62 per MWH reflecting the strong brownenergy prices and the ongoing shortage of renewable energy in the UK which isdriving the price premium achieved by renewables. The timing of open market salescontracts in 2006/07 was particularly favourable - current brown energy prices in2007/08 are lower. Total capacity (excluding a small amount of sub contractcapacity) grew 14 MW from 61 MW at 31 March 2006 to 75 MW at 31 March 2007 (ofwhich Wyvern contributed 7 MW). At 31 March 2007 50% of Viridor's power generatingcapacity was eligible for Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) and 50% for NonFossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO). In May 2006, Viridor acquired Wyvern Waste from Somerset County Council for £25m(including £3m cash on the balance sheet) as part of a 25 year Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) contract with the County. The company is already integrated andwas earnings enhancing in its first ten months. Viridor continues to explore other suitable Private Finance Initiative (PFI) andPPP opportunities as part of its overall strategy. In January 2007 GreaterManchester Waste Disposal Authority announced that the Viridor Waste ManagementLimited / John Laing Infrastructure Limited consortium had been selected aspreferred bidder for its waste management services contract. With an investmentvalue of around £300m, this will be the largest such scheme in the UK and willinvolve the handling of around 1.4 million tonnes of waste per annum. Finalnegotiations are underway with the contract due to commence in the currentfinancial year. In addition, Viridor is one of Manchester's nominated landfillcontractors for 5 years from April 2008. In September 2005, Viridor entered into a joint venture with Grundon WasteManagement Limited to set up Lakeside Energy from Waste Limited to build andoperate an energy from waste plant. The 50 : 50 joint venture is in line withViridor's strategy of capitalising on opportunities arising from the Government'sdeveloping waste strategy and will assist local authority customers in meetingtheir landfill diversion targets and avoiding penalties under the LandfillAllowance Trading Scheme (LATS). A number of these councils are existing wastedisposal customers of Viridor or Grundon. The plant will have a capacity of 400,000tonnes per annum and it will also provide power generation capacity of up to 37 MWof electricity which will be fed into the national grid. The plant is being builtat a strategically located site at Colnbrook near Heathrow, which has the relevantpermissions and permits. Total investment is projected to be circa £160m, 86% ofwhich is non-recourse debt financing with the balance split equally between Viridorand Grundon. The plant is under construction and on schedule to open in the secondhalf of calendar 2008. Other significant new developments in the year include : • a 70,000 tonne pa recycling and disposal contract extension to 2027 for the Borough of Poole. • a 7 year 120,000 tonne pa landfill contract for the City of Plymouth, starting in April 2008. • 5 year landfill and 7 year recycling contracts for South Lanarkshire totalling £20m. • preferred bidder status achieved for medium term disposal contracts with West Sussex and Suffolk County Councils. • the acquisition of Skipaway for £14.7m in February 2007. This acquisition comprises three transfer stations plus associated collection and recycling activities in Kent and handles approximately 240,000 tonnes of material per annum. • planning application submitted for a 60,000 tonne energy from waste facility in Exeter. PENSIONS The Group pension schemes had net liabilities at 31 March 2007 of £41 million (31March 2006 - £42 million) from pension fund assets of £348m and liabilities of£389m. Sound investment performance, an increase in the market interest rate usedto discount liabilities, plus a further £9m prepayment of employer contributions inSeptember 2006, have been offset by an increase in liabilities of which £16m arisesfrom the use of an updated longevity assumption for pensioners. A full actuarialvaluation is being undertaken as at April 2007. The net liabilities (after deferredtax) represented circa 1% of the Group's total market capitalisation as at 31 March2007. FINANCING INITIATIVES The total net interest charge increased from £64.3m (before exceptional netcharges) in 2005/06 to £69.2m in 2006/07. The average interest rate on net debt forthe Group overall has been reduced to 4.6% (2005/06 - 5.1%) for the Group and 4.3%for South West Water. This is believed to be amongst the lowest in the sector. The Group funding strategy utilises a mix of fixed, floating and index-linked rateborrowings. To reduce the risk of adverse interest rate movements, South West Water has swap arrangements in place to fix the interest rate on circa 60% of its projected netdebt for the period up to March 2010. In addition, circa 10% of South West Watercurrent net debt is index-linked to 2041. During the year the following financing initiatives were implemented : • £180m finance lease extended by 20 years. • £100m 4.13% private placement issued. • £85m finance lease drawdown for water mains rehabilitation. TAXATION The mainstream corporation tax charge for the year was £23.9m (2005/06 - £14.8m)giving a mainstream effective tax rate of 18%. The deferred tax charge for the year was £13.3m (2005/06 - £20.2m). RETURN OF CAPITAL The Company completed the redemption of the outstanding B shares for a total of£5.7m in April 2006. Circa £145m has now been returned through the B share issue. STRATEGY & PROSPECTS The Board's priority continues to be the creation of shareholder value through itsstrategic focus on water, sewerage and waste management. The excellent performancehighlighted above is testament to the Board's strategy of focusing on these keybusiness areas. The Board has confidence that South West Water will successfully deliver the K4regulatory contract and significantly grow its Regulatory Capital Value up to 2010(£2.6bn). South West Water is now looking beyond K4 and preparing for PR09.Viridor's successful strategy of creating long-term sustainable profit growth isexpected to continue through capitalising on its landfill asset base, exploitingits landfill gas power generation potential and pursuing profitable opportunitiesin line with the Government's developing waste strategy. In addition, the Group hasput in place a long-term funding structure to enable it to continue to finance itsactivities efficiently. Ken HarveyChairman31 May 2007 PENNON GROUP PLC Consolidated income statement for the year ended 31 March 2007 Before Exceptional exceptional items 2007 items (note 5) Total (Unaudited) 2006 2006 2006 Note £m £m £m £m Revenue 3 748.3 645.7 - 645.7 Operating costsManpower costs (91.0) (79.9) - (79.9)Raw materials and consumables used (47.2) (40.7) - (40.7)Other operating expenses (294.6) (245.9) (14.5) (260.4)Depreciation (113.7) (102.5) - (102.5)Amortisation of intangibles (1.8) (1.6) - (1.6) -------------------------------------------Operating profit 3 200.0 175.1 (14.5) 160.6 Interest payable andsimilar charges (98.3) (96.8) (50.2) (147.0)Interest receivable 29.1 32.5 7.9 40.4Share of post-tax profitfrom joint ventures 0.3 0.1 - 0.1 -------------------------------------------Profit before tax 3 131.1 110.9 (56.8) 54.1 Tax on ordinary activities 4 (37.2) (35.0) 18.7 (16.3) -------------------------------------------Profit for the year 93.9 75.9 (38.1) 37.8 ===========================================Profit attributable toequity shareholders 93.9 75.9 (38.1) 37.8 =========================================== Earnings per share(pence per share) * 6 - Basic 26.5 9.9 - Diluted 26.3 9.8 Proposed dividend pershare (pence per share) * 7 18.55 17.2 Proposed dividend for theyear (£m) 7 66.0 61.0 All operating activities are continuing operations. * The earnings per share and dividend per share for 2006 have been restated to reflect thesub-division of the Company's ordinary shares by way of a three for one split on 31 July2006. PENNON GROUP PLC Consolidated statement of recognised income and expense for the year ended 31 March 2007 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Profit for the year 93.9 37.8 ------------------ Actuarial losses on definedbenefit schemes (1.2) (2.8) Cash flow hedgesNet fair value gains 15.7 1.0 Tax on items taken directly to ortransferred from equity 0.4 0.8 ------------------Net gains/(losses) not recognised directly in income statement 14.9 (1.0) ------------------ Total recognised income for the year 108.8 36.8 Adjustments on adoption of IAS 32/39 1 April 2005 (net of tax) - 8.6 ------------------ 108.8 45.4 ================== Attributable to equity shareholders 108.8 45.4 ================== PENNON GROUP PLC Consolidated balance sheet at 31 March 2007 Note 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £mAssetsNon-current assetsGoodwill 134.3 98.6Other intangible assets 7.8 5.7Property,plant and equipment 2,559.4 2,415.9Trade and other receivables 6.9 6.0Investments accounted forusing equity method 1.4 1.3 ------------------ 2,709.8 2,527.5 ------------------Current assetsInventories 5.1 5.0Trade and other receivables 122.5 94.5Derivative financial instruments 16.0 3.1Cash and cash equivalents 127.9 99.4 ------------------ 271.5 202.0 ------------------LiabilitiesCurrent liabilitiesBorrowings (85.8) (54.7)Derivative financial instruments - (3.0)Trade and other payables (175.9) (170.1)Current tax liabilities (36.5) (24.0)Provisions for liabilities and charges (13.2) (11.4) ------------------ (311.4) (263.2) ------------------Net current liabilities (39.9) (61.2) ------------------ Non-current liabilitiesBorrowings (1,599.4) (1,471.8)Other non-current liabilities (2.1) (2.2)Retirement benefit obligations (41.2) (41.7)Deferred tax liabilities (313.7) (302.8)Provisions for liabilities and charges 8 (86.3) (66.6) ------------------ (2,042.7) (1,885.1) ------------------Net assets 627.2 581.2 ================== Shareholders' equityShare capital 144.9 184.2Share premium account 11.7 10.2Capital redemption reserve 143.8 98.4Retained earnings and other reserves 326.8 288.4 ------------------Total shareholders' equity 9 627.2 581.2 ================== PENNON GROUP PLC Consolidated cash flow statement for the year ended 31 March 2007 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 Note £m £mCash flows from operating activitiesCash generated from operations 10 305.1 232.1Interest paid * (58.1) (128.9)Tax paid (12.0) (2.2) ------------------Net cash generated from operatingactivities 235.0 101.0 ------------------ Cash flows from investing activitiesInterest received * 6.7 22.5Acquisition of subsidiary undertakings (net of Cash acquired) (37.0) (44.7)Investment in joint venture - (1.1) Return of loan from joint venture 0.1 - Proceeds of business disposal - 5.0 Proceeds from investment disposal 0.6 -Purchase of property,plant and equipment (251.4) (218.6)Proceeds from sale of property, plant andequipment 5.0 4.8 ------------------Net cash used in investingactivities (276.0) (232.1) ------------------ Cash flows from financing activitiesNet proceeds from issue of ordinary share capital 1.9 1.6Purchase of ordinary shares (3.5) -Purchase of ordinary shares by the Pennon Employee Share Trust (2.3) -(Deposit)/release of restricted funds (4.1) 177.1Net proceeds from new borrowing 110.0 182.5Repayment of borrowings (71.1) (224.3)Finance lease drawdowns 130.2 141.6Finance lease principal repayments (21.4) (15.8)Dividends paid (61.0) (34.1)B Share payments (5.7) (137.8) ------------------Net cash received from financing activities 73.0 90.8 ------------------ Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 32.0 (40.3) Cash and cash equivalents atbeginning of year 80.3 120.6 ------------------Cash and cash equivalents atend of year 112.3 80.3 ================== * Interest paid and received in 2006 included exceptional items, note 5. PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES 1. Basis of preparation These unaudited financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, except for derivative financial instruments, and in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and International Financial Reporting Interpretation (IFRIC) interpretations adopted by the European Union, with those parts of the Companies Act 1985 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS and the requirements of the Financial Services Authority. 2. Financial information The financial information for the years ended 31 March 2007 and 31 March 2006 does not constitute full financial statements within the meaning of section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The full financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2006 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The independent auditors' report on those financial statements was unqualified and did not contain a statement under section 237 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985. 3. Segmental reporting 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Revenue Water and sewerage 381.5 348.5 Waste management 367.7 298.9 Other 7.6 7.3 Less intra-segment trading * (8.5) (9.0) ------------------ 748.3 645.7 ------------------ Segment result Operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and exceptional items (EBITDA) Water and sewerage 234.5 213.4 Waste management 82.8 66.7 Other (1.8) (0.9) ------------------ 315.5 279.2 ------------------ Operating profit before amortisation and exceptional items Water and sewerage 156.8 141.5 Waste management 46.8 35.9 Other (1.8) (0.7) ------------------ 201.8 176.7 ------------------ Operating profit before exceptional items Water and sewerage 156.8 141.5 Waste management 45.0 34.3 Other (1.8) (0.7) ------------------ 200.0 175.1 ------------------ Operating profit Water and sewerage 156.8 127.0 Waste management 45.0 34.3 Other (1.8) (0.7) ------------------ 200.0 160.6 ------------------ PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (Continued) 3. Segmental reporting (Continued) 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Profit before tax and exceptional items Water and sewerage 98.9 87.4 Waste management 27.6 21.9 Other 4.6 1.6 ------------------ 131.1 110.9 ------------------ The exceptional items are detailed in note 5. * Intra-segment trading between and to other segments by the water and sewerage and waste management segments is under normal commercial terms and conditions that would also be available to unrelated third parties. Intra-segment revenue of the Other segment is at cost. 4. Tax on profit on ordinary activities Before Exceptional exceptional items 2007 items (note 5) Total (Unaudited) 2006 2006 2006 £m £m £m £m Tax on profit on ordinary activities comprises: United Kingdom corporation tax 23.9 14.8 (18.7) (3.9) Deferred tax 13.3 20.2 - 20.2 -------------------------------------------- 37.2 35.0 (18.7) 16.3 ============================================ 5. Exceptional items The exceptional items are : 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Customer payment - (14.5) ------------------- Operating profit - (14.5) Bond retirement - (50.2) Receipt on transfer of lease - 7.9 ------------------- Profit before tax - (56.8) Tax arising on exceptional items - 18.7 ------------------- - (38.1) =================== The customer payment and bond retirement relate to financial restructuring in the Company and South West Water Limited. The receipt on transfer of lease relates to a consent fee paid to South West Water Limited arising from the sale of finance leases between financial institutions. PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (Continued) 6. Basic and diluted earnings per share Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing the earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding those held in the employee share trust, which are treated as cancelled. For diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of ordinary shares is adjusted to include all dilutive potential ordinary shares. A reconciliation of the weighted average number of shares and earnings used in the calculations is set out below: Number of shares (millions) 2007 2006 (Unaudited) (Restated) For basic earnings per share 353.9 381.9 Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares : Share options 3.2 3.3 ----------------------- For diluted earnings per share 357.1 385.2 ======================= The weighted average number of ordinary shares for 2006 has been restated to reflect the sub-division of the Company's ordinary shares by way of a three for one split on 31 July 2006. Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share Adjusted earnings per share have been calculated to exclude the impact of the exceptional items and deferred tax on the results, as these items can have a distorting effect on earnings from year to year and therefore warrant separate consideration. Adjusted earnings have been calculated as follows: 2007 2006 Earnings per share Earnings per share (Unaudited) (Restated) Earnings Basic Diluted Earnings Basic Diluted £m p p £m p p Earnings per share 93.9 26.5 26.3 37.8 9.9 9.8 Exceptional items (net of tax) - - - 38.1 10.0 9.9 Deferred tax 13.3 3.8 3.7 20.2 5.3 5.2 ----------------------------------------------------- Adjusted earnings per share 107.2 30.3 30.0 96.1 25.2 24.9 ===================================================== All operating activities are continuing operations. PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (Continued) 7. Dividends 2007 2006 (Unaudited) £m £m Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in the year : Interim dividend paid for the year ended 31 March 2006 : 5.5p (2005 4.6p) per share 19.4 17.7 Final dividend paid for the year ended 31 March 2006 : 11.7p (2005 9.7p) per share 41.6 37.4 ----------------------- 61.0 55.1 ======================= Proposed dividends Proposed interim dividend for the year ended 31 March 2007 : 5.85p (2006 5.5p) per share 20.8 19.4 Proposed final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2007 : 12.7p (2006 11.7p) per share 45.2 41.6 ----------------------- 66.0 61.0 ======================= Dividend per share for 2006 has been restated to reflect the sub-division of the Company's ordinary shares by way of a three for one split on 31 July 2006. The proposed interim and final dividends have not been included as liabilities in these financial statements. The proposed interim dividend was paid on 11 April 2007 and the proposed final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 26 July 2007. If approved at the Annual General Meeting the final dividend of 12.7p per share will be paid on 2 October 2007 to shareholders on the register at 10 August 2007. The Company is intending to offer a Dividend Re-investment Plan (DRIP) in respect of this dividend and full details will be sent to shareholders on 24 August 2007. The final date for receipt of DRIP application forms will be 18 September 2007. PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (Continued) 8. Landfill restoration At 31 March 2007 landfill restoration provisions recognised with a matching addition to the cost of tangible fixed assets were £43.6m (2006 £32.3m) following a change in accounting methodology in 2006. 9. Statement of changes in shareholders' equity Retained Share Capital earnings Share premium redemption and other (Unaudited) capital account reserve reserves Total £m £m £m £m £m Profit for the year - - - 93.9 93.9 Other recognised income and expense for the year - - - 14.9 14.9 Dividends paid - - - (61.0) (61.0) Shares issued for cash consideration 0.4 1.5 - - 1.9 Shares cancelled and cost of buy back (0.3) - 0.3 (3.5) (3.5) Deferred shares redeemed (39.4) - 39.4 - - B Shares redeemed - - 5.7 (5.7) - Own shares acquired by the Pennon Employee Share Trust - - - (2.3) (2.3) Adjustment in respect of share- based payment - - - 2.1 2.1 -------------------------------------------------------- (39.3) 1.5 45.4 38.4 46.0 At 1 April 2006 184.2 10.2 98.4 288.4 581.2 -------------------------------------------------------- At 31 March 2007 144.9 11.7 143.8 326.8 627.2 ======================================================== PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (Continued) 10. Cash flow from operating activities The reconciliation of operating profit to net cash inflow from operating activities is : Cash generated from operations 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Profit for the year 93.9 37.8 Adjustments for: Employee share schemes 2.1 1.7 Deferred income released to profits - (0.3) Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment (2.6) (1.1) Profit on disposal of investment (0.6) - Depreciation charge 113.7 102.5 Amortisation of intangible assets 1.8 1.6 Share of post-tax profit from joint ventures (0.3) (0.1) Interest payable and similar charges 98.3 147.0 Interest receivable (29.1) (40.4) Taxation 37.2 16.3 Changes in working capital (excluding the effect of acquisition of subsidiaries) Increase in inventories (0.1) (0.3) (Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables (20.7) 2.0 Increase in trade and other payables 16.9 8.4 Increase/(decrease) in retirement benefit obligations 2.0 (39.7) Decrease in provisions for liabilities and charges (7.4) (3.3) -------------------------- Cash generated from operations 305.1 232.1 ========================== 11. Net borrowings 2007 (Unaudited) 2006 £m £m Cash and cash equivalents 127.9 99.4 Borrowings - current Bank overdrafts (10.9) (18.5) Other current borrowings (26.0) (8.2) Finance lease obligations (48.9) (28.0) --------------------------- Total current borrowings (85.8) (54.7) --------------------------- Borrowings - non-current Bank loans (350.1) (312.7) Other non-current borrowings (215.9) (232.2) Finance lease obligations (1,033.4) (926.9) --------------------------- Total non-current borrowings (1,599.4) (1,471.8) --------------------------- Total net borrowings (1,557.3) (1,427.1) =========================== PENNON GROUP PLC NOTES (continued) 12. Acquisitions and disposals On 13 May 2006 the entire issued share capital of Wyvern Waste Services Limited, (now renamed Viridor Waste (Somerset) Limited), was purchased by Viridor Waste Management Limited for a cash consideration of £25.4m including costs of £0.4m. The acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method. Goodwill of £21.8m and intangible fixed assets of £3.6m have been capitalised. The intangible fixed assets are being amortised evenly over the Directors' estimate of useful economic life. Cash balances on acquisition amounted to £3.0m. On 5 September 2006 Viridor Waste Management Limited disposed of its 15% interest in the issued share capital of Devon Waste Management Limited for a cash consideration of £0.6m. On 13 February 2007, the entire issued share capital of Skipaway Holdings Limited, (now renamed Viridor Waste (Medway) Holdings Limited), was purchased by Viridor Waste Management Limited for a cash consideration of £15.1m including costs of £0.4m. The acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method. Provisional goodwill of £13.9m and intangible fixed assets of £0.3m have been capitalised. The intangible fixed assets are being amortised evenly over the Directors' estimate of their useful economic life. 13. The Annual Report for 2006/07 will be posted to shareholders on 26 June 2007 and will be available for viewing on the Company's website at www.pennon-group.co.uk on 27 June 2007. Pennon Group PlcRegistered Office:Peninsula HouseRydon LaneExeterEX2 7HR Registered in England No 2366640 www.pennon-group.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
Pennon