Reed Elsevier PLC – Results for the year to December 2013

February 28, 2014 — Fusion DigiNet

Reed ElsevierReed Elsevier has announced its results for the year ending December 2013.

 

Reed Elsevier results 2013Click on the above table for a full screen view

Highlights

Revenue of £6,035m/€7,121m; underlying growth +2% (+3% excluding biennial exhibition cycling): The overall underlying growth rate of +3% reflects +5 to +7% growth in electronic and face-to-face revenues, which now account for 81% of the total (2012: 79%), partially offset by continuing print revenue declines.

Adjusted operating profit £1,749m/€2,064m; underlying growth +5%: Underlying operating profit growth across Reed Elsevier reflects a combination of process innovation and portfolio development. Reported operating profit, after amortisation of acquired intangible assets, was up +3% to £1,376m/down -1% to €1,624m.

Return on invested capital 12.1%, up by 0.4%pts on 2012: The ROIC increase was driven by the increase in adjusted operating profit.

Interest and tax: Adjusted net interest expense was £39m lower at £177m (€56m lower at €209m) reflecting the benefits of term debt refinancing initiatives over the last 18 months. The adjusted effective tax rate was unchanged at 23.5%.

Adjusted EPS up +9% to 54.0p for Reed Elsevier PLC; up +5% to €0.99 for Reed Elsevier NV; constant currency growth +7%: Reported EPS growth was +9% to 48.8p for Reed Elsevier PLC, +5% to €0.91 for Reed Elsevier NV.

Equalised full year dividend up +7% to 24.60p for Reed Elsevier PLC; up +8% to €0.506 for Reed Elsevier NV: The proposed average full year dividend growth rate is in line with adjusted EPS growth at constant currency rates. The proposed final dividend for Reed Elsevier PLC is up +6% to 17.95p following an +11% increase in the interim dividend. The proposed final dividend for Reed Elsevier NV is up +11% to €0.374, following a +2% increase in the interim dividend. The difference in interim and final dividend growth rates reflects exchange rate movements between the declaration dates. The Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV full year dividends are covered 2.2x and 2.0x by adjusted EPS respectively.

Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x on a pensions and lease adjusted basis (unadjusted 1.6x): Net debt was £3.1bn/€3.7bn on 31 December 2013. Capital expenditure remained at 5% of revenues. The adjusted operating cash flow conversion rate was 97%.

Acquisitions & Disposals

In 2013 the company completed 20 small acquisitions of content and data assets across all market segments for a total consideration of £230m. They also completed the disposal of 26 assets for a total consideration of £331m. 

Chief Executive Officer, Erik Engstrom, commented, “In 2013 we remained focused on transforming our business profile and improving the quality of our earnings. We did this primarily through organic investment, supported by a small number of targeted acquisitions, and by exiting from several businesses that no longer fit our strategy. Early trends across our business in 2014 remain broadly consistent with 2013, and we are confident that, by continuing to execute on our strategy, we will deliver another year of underlying revenue, profit, and earnings growth”.

UK, London & The Netherlands, Amsterdam

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