RNS Number : 3112V
Impax Group PLC
27 May 2008
Impax Group plc
Interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2008
Impax Group plc, the AIM quoted investment company which focuses exclusively on the
environmental sector, today announces its interim
results for the half year ended 31 March 2008.
Highlights
* Strong growth in assets under management and advisory from £983m at the end of
September 2007 to £1,089m on 31 March 2008 and
further to £1,256m on 15 May 2008.
* Continued out-performance against global equity markets of the quoted equity funds
that the Company manages.
* Net fund inflows despite volatile equity markets.
* Significant progress made in partnerships with distributors.
Commenting on the results, Keith Falconer, Chairman said:
"As a specialist investment manager in the environmental sector, we are continually
encouraged by the positive developments in our
target markets. Energy and commodity prices have continued to strengthen, making the economic
case for alternative energy generation, energy
efficient products and recycling technologies even more attractive. Additionally, there have
been further positive developments in
legislation affecting the sector."
For further information please contact
Keith Falconer, Chairman 020 7434 1122
Impax Group plc
Ian Simm, Chief Executive 020 7434 1122
Impax Group plc
Chairman's Statement
In my statement in the 2007 annual report on 19 December 2007 I indicated that an economic
slowdown may lead to or exacerbate a bear
market but that Impax was well positioned to ride one out. Although the ensuing turmoil,
particularly in credit markets, has indeed been
dramatic, I am pleased to report that Impax has weathered the storm and also made significant
progress. Assets under management and advisory
("AUM") have grown from £983 million at the end of September 2007 to £1,089 million on
31 March 2008 (the end of the interim period), well
ahead of the £687 million reported in last year's Interim Report. On 15 May 2008, AUM had
increased further to £1,256 million.
As a specialist investment manager operating exclusively in the environmental sector, we
are continually encouraged by the positive
developments in our target markets. Since my last report, energy and commodity prices have
strengthened further, making the economic case
for alternative energy generation, energy efficiency products and recycling technologies even
more attractive. In addition, there have been
further positive developments in legislation affecting our sector, particularly the detailing
of 2020 targets in Europe covering renewable
energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction.
Results for the period
Turnover for the six months to 31 March 2008 was £4,922,608 (2007: £3,179,103). The
un-audited net result for the period was a profit
before tax of £1,592,343 (2007: £644,830) reflecting the benefits of scaling up our
investment funds and our continuing efforts to keep
costs under control.
Quoted equities
Our core business continues to be the provision of management and advisory services to
professional investors in quoted equities. Over
the past 12 months, we have segmented these funds into "pure play" funds (which are investing
predominantly in companies that derive at
least 50% of their revenues or profits or have at least 50% of their capital employed in
environmental markets) and "all cap" funds, where
the corresponding hurdle is 20% rather than 50%. Broadly speaking, "pure play" funds are
exposed to smaller companies, while "all cap" funds
have a weighting towards larger companies.
In the "pure play" category, over the six months to 31 March 2008, the net asset value
("NAV") of Impax Environmental Markets plc
("IEM"), the largest fund that we manage, had fallen by 3.9%, outperforming the MSCI World
Index which dropped by 9.8%. Our other "pure
play" funds reported similar outperformances. At the end of the period, IEM's total net assets
were £366 million, large enough for it to
qualify for the FTSE 250 index. We are delighted by this development, particularly given that
the fund was only established in 2002.
Notwithstanding volatile equity markets, investor interest in these funds continues to be
robust. IEM's share price has remained at a
premium to NAV for almost the entire period, while there have been positive net inflows into
our other large "pure play" open-ended funds:
Impax Environmental Markets (Ireland); ASN Environment and Water Fund; and Parworld
Environmental Opportunities. On 15 May 2008, AUM in
"pure play" funds was £995 million.
Since the launch of the "all cap" strategy in August last year, we have been encouraged by
the interest shown from investors in many
countries, and on 15 May 2008, AUM in these funds was £146 million. As I reported in
December, our first fund with this strategy was the
DIAM World Environmental Business Fund, which, at the end of March 2008, had £69 million of
net assets and, since launching in August 2007,
has outperformed the MSCI World Index. We are also advising small "all cap" funds in Korea and
Malaysia.
In the meantime, we have successfully commenced four new "all cap" mandates. In early
March 2008 we launched IFSL Impax Environmental
Leaders Fund, a UK-domiciled open-ended fund with an "all-cap" investment strategy. In late
March 2008, we were appointed as investment
adviser to the new Pax World Global Green fund, an open-ended fund domiciled in the United
States which will invest in "all cap" stocks that
satisfy Pax's sustainable and responsible investment criteria. In early April, we began the
management of the Parvest Environment Fund,
which will invest in the full "all cap" portfolio and is eligible for promotion by its sponsor
(BNP Paribas Investment Partners) in 30
countries. Most recently, on 14 May 2008, we commenced sub-management of our first segregated
account for Russell Investments Japan, also
with an "all cap" investment strategy.
Our partnership with FTSE to develop a suite of index products has also made good
progress. There has been significant demand for the
FTSE ET50 Index, which comprises the 50 largest "pure play" stocks active in environmental
markets. Also in response to investor demand,
FTSE and Impax are currently reviewing opportunities to launch additional indices.
Private Equity
Our teams investing capital in unquoted companies have made excellent progress in the
first half. Impax New Energy Investors LP, which
invests in renewable energy projects and related assets, achieved a very successful exit from
Airtricity, the Irish wind farm developer and
operator, and is currently processing a strong deal flow, particularly in Southern Europe.Meanwhile, our development capital team has
recently expanded its portfolio to seven investments by committing capital to two companies in
the wind sector and one in the composting
sector. We have plans to increase the capital managed by both teams.
Hedge Fund
Our long-short equity fund has just reached its first anniversary. Its performance has
been respectable and we have built up a
"following" of potential investors. Our dialogue with potential cornerstone investors
continues, and I look forward to reporting more news
later in the year.
Infrastructure and Support Systems
The Board is fully aware that in order to grow our business we need to ensure that robust
infrastructure and systems are in place to
support the core fund management business. To this end, we are continuing to add experienced
staff to our marketing, sales, operations,
finance and compliance functions. Meanwhile, as the teams have expanded, we have now reached
full capacity in our London offices and are
expecting a move to larger premises in the near future.
We also continue to develop our investment processes and systems to ensure that the
consultants and other advisers to mainstream
institutional investors are aware of and impressed by our capabilities.
Overall, I believe that this investment will continue to enhance our offering and increase
the scope for new business opportunities.
Board of Directors
In addition to the Board changes I announced in my statement on 19 December 2007, we are
also delighted to welcome Guy de Froment as
non-executive director, who joined the Board on 17 January 2008.
Guy is currently Vice Chairman of BNP Paribas Asset Management . He was previously
responsible for Sales and Marketing for BNP Paribas
Asset Management, as Co-CEO. From 1997 to 1999, he held the position of Chairman and CEO of
Paribas Asset Management. Prior to that he
worked for Barclays as Head of Continental European Asset Management, having previously spent
23 years in the Indosuez Group during which
time he was Chief Executive of W. I. Carr and CEO of Indosuez Asset Management. Guy is a
graduate of the Ecole des Hautes Etudes
Commerciales (HEC Paris).
Prospects
At the time of writing, equity markets have just experienced a rally, but there are mixed
signals over the outlook. In particular,
inflation has picked up significantly and sectors that are exposed to cyclical drivers may
well face a difficult time over the rest of the
year and perhaps beyond.
Nevertheless, I remain confident that Impax is well positioned for further success. The
sectors in which we invest are propelled by
strong fundamentals - some of these, for example high energy prices or the scarcity of
commodities, are likely to have a negative impact on
the wider economy, but are broadly positive for our holdings. Consequently, we are not
surprised that almost all our portfolio companies
have met or exceeded market expectations in recent months.
In addition, the investors in our funds represent a broad, diversified base of support. We
believe that an overwhelming majority of
those investors has a long-term perspective, and are encouraged that many of them appear to
have been adding to their holdings in recent
months. Also, we now have strong distribution partners in many parts of the world, and we are
therefore confident that, provided equity
markets remain reasonably stable, we shall both retain our assets and attract new funds to
manage.
JKR Falconer
27 May 2008
Impax Group plc
Consolidated Income Statement for the six months ended 31 March 2008
Notes Six months ended Six
months ended Year ended
31 Mar 08
31 Mar 07 30 Sept 07
(unaudited)
(unaudited) (audited)
£*000
£*000 £*000
Turnover 4,923
3,179 7,115
Operating expenses
Long term incentive scheme charge ( 491)
( 315) ( 357)
Revaluation of investments -
- 40
Other operating expenses ( 2,975)
( 2,313) ( 5,187)
( 3,466)
( 2,628) ( 5,504)
Operating profit
Continuing operations 1,457
551 1,611
Net interest receivable 135
94 209
Profit on ordinary activities before 1,592
645 1,820
taxation
Taxation ( 550)
( 213) ( 531)
Profit attributable to the Group 1,042
432 1,289
Basic earnings per share 3 0.95p
0.40p 1.20p
Fully diluted earnings per share 3 0.94p
0.40p 1.19p
Adjusted earnings per share 3 1.40p
0.69p 1.53p
Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses for the six months
ended 31 March 2008
Six months ended Six months
ended Year ended
31 Mar 08 31
Mar 07 30 Sept 07
(unaudited)
(unaudited) (audited)
£*000
£*000 £*000
Profit for the period 1,042
432 1,289
Currency translation differences 31 (
91) ( 157)
Total recognised profits 1,073
341 1,132
All disclosures relate only to continuing operations.
Impax Group plc
Consolidated Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2008
Notes As at
As at As at
31 Mar 08
31 Mar 07 30 Sept 07
(unaudited)
(unaudited) (audited)
£'000
£'000 £'000
ASSETS
Non - current assets
Goodwill 1,629
1,629 1,629
Other intangible 29
- 35
assets
Property, fixtures 48
73 47
and equipment
Investments 14
14 14
1,720
1,716 1,725
Current assets
Trade and other receivables due after one year 1,124
1,388 1,208
Trade and other receivables due within one 2,194
2,237 1,906
year
Investments 5 3,082
73 1,620
Cash and cash 4,320
3,365 4,554
equivalents
10,720
7,063 9,288
TOTAL ASSETS 12,440
8,779 11,013
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Capital and Reserves attributable to equity
shareholders
Ordinary shares 6 1,095
9,592 1,095
Share premium 6 179
2,723 19
Exchange equalisation reserve 6 ( 971)
( 936) ( 1,002)
Treasury shares 6 ( 164)
( 149) ( 168)
Other reserve 6 1,408
827 894
Retained earnings 6 8,251
( 4,889) 7,209
9,798
7,168 8,047
Current liabilities 2,642
1,611 2,966
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 12,440
8,779 11,013
Impax Group plc
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement for the six months ended 31 March 2008
Six months ended Six months ended
Year ended
31 Mar 08 31 Mar 07
30 Sept 07
(unaudited) (unaudited)
(unaudited)
£*000 £*000
£'000
Cashflows from operating
activities
Operating profit 1,457 551
1,611
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of property, fixtures and 14 10
17
equipment
Amortisation of intangible 6 -
6
assets
Revaluation of investment - -
( 40)
Movement on treasury shares - -
( 19)
Movement on share premium - -
19
Share-based transactions 517 340
407
Translation differences 31 ( 91)
( 157)
Operating cashflows before 2,025 810
1,844
movement in working capital
(Increase)/decrease in ( 103) ( 258)
140
receivables
(Decrease)/increase in ( 815) 233
1,382
payables
Net cash generated by 1,107 785
3,366
operating activities
Investing activities:
Interest received 135 94
209
Purchase of investments ( 1,500) -
( 1,506)
Saleof investments 38 -
-
Purchase of property, fixtures and equipment ( 14) ( 59)
( 80)
Net cash (used in)/generated ( 1,341) 35
( 1,377)
by investing activities
Financing activities:
Share capital issued - -
20
Net cash generated by - -
20
financing activities
Net (decrease)/increase in ( 234) 820
2,009
cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at 4,554 2,545
2,545
the beginning of the period
Cash and cash equivalents at 4,320 3,365
4,554
the end of the period
Represented by:
Cash and cash equivalents 4,320 3,365
4,554
4,320 3,365
4,554
Impax Group plc
Notes to the Interim Accounts for the six months ended 31 March 2008
1 The financial information set out in this report does not constitute full accounts for
the purposes of Section 240 of the Companies
Act 1985. The interim accounts for the six months ended 31 March 2008 and 31 March 2007 are
unaudited. The comparative figures for
the financial year ended 30 September 2007 are not the Company's statutory accounts for
the financial year but are abridged from those
accounts which have been reported on by the Company's auditors, whose report on the
consolidated financial statements prepared
under International Financial Reporting and Accounting Standards, was unqualified. The
interim accounts have been prepared on the
basis of the accounting policies set out in the annual financial statements of the Group for
the year ended 30 September 2007.
The interim accounts were approved by the Directors on 27 May 2008.
2 Amounts denominated in US Dollars have been converted at the closing rate on 31 March
2008 of £1 to $2.00 (31 March 2007: $1.96; 30
September 2007: $2.05). The results of the US subsidiary undertaking have been translated on a
monthly basis at the average rate
ruling during each month.
3 The figures for basic earnings per share are based on the profit attributable to the
Group of £1,042,344 (31 March 2007: profit -
£432,000 ; 30 September 2007: profit - £1,289,379 and on the weighted average number of
ordinary shares in issue during the period
ended 31 March 2008: 109,499,098 (31 March 2007: 107,524,098; 30 September 2007:
109,499,098).
The figures for fully diluted profit per share include the weighted average number of
ordinary shares in issue and, in addition,
shares that would arise from the exercise of 888,215 share options, as further described in
Note 6, that would give a total of
110,387,313 shares at 31 March 2008 (31 March 2007: 108,412,313; 30 September 2007:
110,387,313).
In order to show results from operating activities on a comparable basis, an adjusted
profit per share has been calculated which
excludes the long term incentive scheme charge of £491,358 from the results (six months
ended 31 March 2007: £315,000; year ended 30
September 2007: £357,000).
4 The Directors do not propose an interim dividend.
5 On 3 March 2008, the Company made an investment of £1,500,000 in the Impax
Environmental Leaders Fund ("IEL"). The investment took
the form of 1,500,000 £1 accumulation shares. IEL, which is managed by a subsidiary
undertaking of the Company, launched on 3 March
2008 and had a total net asset value ("NAV") of £1,785,826 at 31 March 2008. The
Group's investment in the IEL represents 85.2% of
the NAV at 31 March 2008. These shares are held in custody under the control of the fund's
depository and the Directors are
therefore of the opinion that this investment does not constitute an associate
undertaking due to insignificant control and
influence.
6 Reconciliation of movements in capital and reserves: 1 October 2006 - 31 March 2007
Share capital Share premium
Special reserve
Exchange Treasury shares
Other reserve
Retained
equalisation reserve
earnings
£'000
£'000 £'000
£'000 £'000
£'000
£'000
As at 1 October 2006 9,592 2,723
-
( 845) ( 149)
487 (
5,321)
Profit for the - -
-
- -
-
432
period
Exchange differences - -
-
( 91) -
-
-
on consolidation
Net issue of shares - -
-
- -
315
-
to Employee Benefit
Trust
Accrued cash - -
-
- -
25
-
equivalent of share
options receivable
by NOMAD
As at 31 March 2007 9,592 2,723
-
( 936) ( 149)
827 (
4,889)
6.1 Reconciliation of movements in capital and reserves: 1 April 2007 - 30 September 2007
Share capital Share premium
Special reserve
Exchange Treasury shares
Other reserve
Retained
equalisation reserve
earnings
£'000
£'000 £'000
£'000 £'000
£'000
£'000
As at 1 April 2007 9,592 2,723
-
( 936) ( 149)
827 (
4,889)
Profit for the - -
-
-
-
858
period
Exchange differences - -
-
( 66) -
-
-
on consolidation
Cancellation of ( 8,517) ( 2,723)
3,788
- -
-
7,452
deferred shares and
share premium
account
Transfer from - -
( 3,788)
- -
-
3,788
special reserve to
retained earnings
Net issue of shares 20 19
-
- ( 19)
42
-
to Employee Benefit
Trust
Accrued cash - -
-
- -
25
-
equivalent of share
options receivable
by NOMAD
As at 30 September 1,095 19
-
( 1,002) ( 168)
894
7,209
2007
6.2 Reconciliation of movements in capital and reserves: 1 October 2007 - 31 March 2008
Share capital Share premium
Special reserve
Exchange Treasury shares
Other reserve
Retained
equalisation reserve
earnings
£'000
£'000 £'000
£'000 £'000
£'000
£'000
As at 1 October 2006 1,095 19
-
( 1,002) ( 168)
894
7,209
Profit for the - -
-
- -
-
1,042
period
Exchange differences - -
-
31 -
-
-
on consolidation
Net issue of shares - -
-
- -
492
-
to Employee Benefit
Trust
Net sale of shares - 160
-
- 4
( 3)
-
from Employee
Benefit Trust
Accrued cash - -
-
- -
25
-
equivalent of share
options receivable
by NOMAD
As at 31 March 2008 1,095 179
-
( 971) ( 164)
1,408
8,251
Treasury Shares
The treasury shares relate to the holding of 16,328,618 ordinary shares in the Company
by the EBT, representing 14.91% of the ordinary
shares in issue at 31 March 2008. During the period the EBT sold 448,427 ordinary shares in
the open market out of the
7,270,000 ordinary shares which vested to employees and their families on 30 September
2007.
Other reserve
(a) Net issue of
shares to EBT
The results for the six months ended 31 March 2008 include a long term incentive scheme
charge of £491,358 which comprises £101,013
in respect of the EBT scheme approved by shareholders on 4 February 2005 and £390,345 in
respect of the extended proposals to the
EBT scheme approved by shareholders on 31 January 2008. This is explained further
below.
On 4 February 2005 shareholders approved the establishment by the Company of the Impax
Group Employee Benefit Trust (the "EBT") as
part of the Company's employee incentive arrangements. This provided for the issue of up to
18,250,000 shares to the EBT for the
three years ended 30 September 2007. The allocation of Ordinary Shares to employees and
their families via the EBT by the Company in
the three years ended 20 September 2007 as part of the long term incentive scheme has given
rise to a charge of £101,011 to the
income statement for the six months ended 31 March 2008. This forms part of a total
charge of £1,069,539, being:
- £463,464 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2007, which is
the
performance period for the 2005 share award
- £485,143 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2008, which is
the
performance period for the 2006 share award
- £120,932 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2009, which is
the
performance period for the 2007 share award
On 31 January 2008 shareholders approved the Company's proposals to extend the EBT as
part of the Company's employee incentive
arrangements. This provided for the issue of up to a further 18,250,000 shares to the EBT for
the three years ended 30 September 2010.
The allocation of Ordinary Shares to employees and families via the EBT by the Company
in the three years ended 30 September 2010 as
part of the long term incentive scheme has given rise to a charge of £390,347 to the income
statement for the six months ended 31
March 2008. This forms part of a total charge of £6,661,250, being:
- £2,220,417 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2010, which
is the
performance period for the 2008 share award
- £2,220,417 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2011, which
is the
performance period for the 2009 share award
- £2,220,417 evenly spread over the three years to 30 September 2012, which
is the
performance period for the 2010 share award
It is calculated in accordance with the requirements of IFRS 2 "Share based payments" by
reference to (a) the mid market price of an
Ordinary Share of 6.375p on the approval date of 4 February 2005, (b) the mid market price of
36.5p on the approval date of 31
January 2008 (c) the Directors' assumption that the EBT performance criteria will be met
and all of the shares will vest to employees
and their families and (d) in respect of the extended scheme covering the three years ended 30
September 2010, that these shares
are awarded in equal tranches over the three year period. The dates of 4 February 2005
and 31 January 2008 are the agreed grant dates
for all shares issued to employees and their families as these were the dates when
substantially all terms and conditions were
agreed by all parties.
The potential beneficiaries of the EBT include the executive directors and employees of
the Group and their families.
In accordance with the requirements of SIC 12 "Consolidation - special purpose entities"
and IAS 32, the assets and liabilities of the
EBT have been included in the Company's and Group's accounts resulting in the inclusion of
£163,287 treasury shares, £178,563
share premium, £4,025 retained earnings, £161,000 in other debtors and
£1,315,969 included in other reserve.
(b) Share options receivable by NOMAD
On 31 May 2006, the Company appointed Landsbanki Securities (UK) Limited ("Landsbanki"),
(formerly Bridgewell Securities Limited) as
nominated advisor and broker ("NOMAD") to the Group. For the twelve months following their
appointment they received an option
over 500,000 shares in the Company, exercisable at 20p within three years. For the
period between twelve and twenty-four months
following their appointment they will receive a further option over 388,215 shares in the
Company exercisable at 25.76p within three
years.
In the six months ended 31 March 2008 £25,002 (six months ended 31 March 2007:
£25,002; year ended 30 September 2007: £50,004) was
charged to the Income Statement and credited to Other reserve to reflect the cash equivalent
of this compensation.
Copies of this interim statement will be sent to shareholders and are available free of
charge from the Company's registered office,
Broughton House, 6 - 8 Sackville Street, London W1S 3DG. It is also available from our website
www.impax.co.uk.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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