Currency in ZAR
Last close As at 02/06/2023
ZAR39.00
▲ 0.97 (2.55%)
Market capitalisation
ZAR8,772m
Research: TMT
Datatec is a global IT services group that has successfully operated a buy-and-build model throughout its 34-year history. The group operates in over 50 countries and is a global partner to Cisco, which represents c 40% of group revenues. After a challenging past few years, having finally bedded down a group-wide SAP implementation, the streamlined business returned to profitability in FY19, with both its major divisions, Westcon and Logicalis, profitable in FY20. In its latest trading update, cost-cutting led to improved year-on-year EBITDA, despite a slight fall in year-on-year revenues. Supported by a weakening US dollar and positive operating leverage, if this trend continues it will demonstrate the resilience of the business.
Datatec |
Benefiting from operating leverage
IT services |
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5 August 2020 |
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Business description
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Bear
Analysts
Datatec is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
Datatec is a global IT services group that has successfully operated a buy-and-build model throughout its 34-year history. The group operates in over 50 countries and is a global partner to Cisco, which represents c 40% of group revenues. After a challenging past few years, having finally bedded down a group-wide SAP implementation, the streamlined business returned to profitability in FY19, with both its major divisions, Westcon and Logicalis, profitable in FY20. In its latest trading update, cost-cutting led to improved year-on-year EBITDA, despite a slight fall in year-on-year revenues. Supported by a weakening US dollar and positive operating leverage, if this trend continues it will demonstrate the resilience of the business.
Positive trading update (four months to 30 June 2020)
In a four-month trading update, management noted that, although group revenues were slightly down on the same period in FY19, EBITDA was improved through reduced operating costs. Westcon International (technology distribution) reported strong demand for networked cloud computing and remote access solutions, while Logicalis (IT services) reported ‘much improved’ EBITDA despite lower revenue, driven mainly by strength in demand from Europe and the US. Given the uncertain global outlook, management has not issued forward guidance but remains focused on business optimisation, including cost and liquidity management.
Streamlined group benefiting from operating leverage
Following the restructuring of Westcon and the sale of Westcon Americas for US$614m in FY18 (0.25x revenues, 8.6x EV/EBITDA), a streamlined group returned to profitability in FY19, with both Westcon and Logicalis profitable in FY20. Since then, despite the uncertain global outlook, Datatec continues to benefit from the streamlining of its operations and cost base. For example, Westcon Europe recently signed a new €275m three-year committed banking facility at a ‘much reduced rate’, replacing its existing credit line due to expire in June 2021. The new facility will meaningfully reduce interest costs, directly adding to the bottom line.
Valuation: Cheap by all measures
In the absence of consensus estimates, we focus on historical numbers in this note, pending publication of our own forecasts. Datatec currently trades on 0.09x FY20 EV/Revenue, 2.5x FY20 EV/EBITDA and a P/E of 13.3x adjusted EPS. We would highlight that this backward-looking valuation gives no weight to the potential for increased demand from the acceleration of the digital transformation, the growth of cloud computing, remote access solutions, security and unified communications.
Historical financials
Source: Datatec. Note: *DPS includes dividends and special dividends. |
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Research: Investment Companies
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