Real Estate Investar (REV) saw a lower volume of property transactions closing in H117, resulting in slower revenue growth than expected. This was partially offset by lower overheads. Good working capital management preserved cash despite lower EBITDA. We have cut our forecasts to reflect slower revenue growth. The company continues to execute on its strategy to capitalise on its growing membership base of property investors to generate property-related transaction revenues.
Real Estate Investar Group |
Delayed property transactions hit growth |
Half-year results |
Software & comp services |
31 March 2017 |
Share price performance
Business description
Next events
Analysts
Real Estate Investar Group is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
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Real Estate Investar (REV) saw a lower volume of property transactions closing in H117, resulting in slower revenue growth than expected. This was partially offset by lower overheads. Good working capital management preserved cash despite lower EBITDA. We have cut our forecasts to reflect slower revenue growth. The company continues to execute on its strategy to capitalise on its growing membership base of property investors to generate property-related transaction revenues.
Year end |
Revenue (A$m) |
PBT* |
EPS* |
DPS |
P/E |
Yield |
06/15 |
4.0 |
(1.1) |
(5.2) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
06/16 |
4.9 |
(1.5) |
(2.4) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
06/17e |
6.0 |
(1.3) |
(1.6) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
06/18e |
7.2 |
(0.1) |
(0.2) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.
H117: Property transactions disappoint
Real Estate Investar (REV) reported H117 revenues of A$2.2m (+14% y-o-y, -25% h-o-h). Revenues were lower than we expected due to fewer property transactions in H117. The completion of property sales can be lumpy, and management is confident that the volume of sales should be materially higher in H217. H117 EBITDA of -A$1.1m compared to -A$0.6m in H116. REV ended H117 with net cash of A$0.6m. We have revised down our FY17 and FY18 forecasts to reflect H117 performance, partially offset by lower operating costs. We continue to expect EBITDA to turn positive in H217 and forecast net cash at end FY17, although the company has noted that it is likely to raise further funds over the next 12 months.
Strategy maintained: Convert members to customers
REV continues to focus on growing its membership base and converting members into customers, whether via subscription contracts or transactions such as property sales, mortgage broking, insurance broking or depreciation reports. The recently launched Premium subscription service is generating higher fees and should stimulate demand for property and related transactions. The membership base exceeded the company’s target of 250,000 by the end of CY16.
Valuation: EBITDA break-even key to upside
REV is an early-stage company so it is not possible to be definitive on valuation. Our 10-year DCF, based on a WACC of 13.5% and long-term growth of 2%, results in a base case valuation of 6.7c per share – significantly above the current share price. If REV is able to successfully transition to a transaction-driven business model and achieve EBITDA break-even in line with our forecasts, we see scope for significant share price appreciation. Key data points that will evidence such progress include transaction volumes growing on a quarterly basis (particularly direct property sales), increasing penetration of the membership base for paid subscription services and good control of operating costs.
Review of H117 results
Exhibit 1: H117 results
A$'000 |
H117e |
H117a |
diff |
H116a |
y-o-y |
Revenue |
3,646 |
2,224 |
-39.0% |
1,947 |
14.2% |
Cost of Sales |
(1,560) |
(1,160) |
(1,143) |
-1.5% |
|
Gross Profit |
2,086 |
1,064 |
804 |
32.3% |
|
EBITDA |
(391) |
(1,115) |
(589) |
-89.4% |
|
Normalised operating profit |
(598) |
(1,394) |
(808) |
||
Intangible Amortisation |
(4) |
(4) |
0 |
||
Exceptionals |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Reported operating profit |
(602) |
(1,398) |
(808) |
||
Net Interest |
17 |
1 |
(58) |
||
Profit Before Tax (norm) |
(581) |
(1,393) |
(866) |
||
Profit Before Tax (FRS 3) |
(585) |
(1,397) |
(881) |
||
Tax |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Profit After Tax (norm) |
(581) |
(1,393) |
(866) |
||
Profit After Tax (FRS 3) |
(585) |
(1,397) |
(881) |
||
Net cash |
691 |
560 |
3,213 |
||
Average Number of Shares Outstanding (m) |
84.5 |
84.5 |
84.5 |
||
EPS - normalised (c ) |
(0.7) |
(1.6) |
(1.0) |
||
EPS - (IFRS) (c ) |
(0.7) |
(1.7) |
(1.0) |
||
Dividend per share (c ) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
||
Gross Margin |
57.2% |
47.8% |
-9.4% |
41.3% |
6.5% |
EBITDA Margin |
-10.7% |
-50.1% |
-39.4% |
-30.2% |
-19.9% |
Normalised operating margin |
-16.4% |
-62.7% |
-46.3% |
-41.5% |
-21.2% |
Source: Real Estate Investar, Edison Investment Research
Exhibit 2: Divisional revenue performance
Revenue split (A$m) |
H116 |
H216 |
H117 |
y-o-y |
h-o-h |
Membership revenue |
1.64 |
1.64 |
1.62 |
-1.1% |
-1.2% |
Transaction income |
0.24 |
0.17 |
0.16 |
-33.5% |
-10.0% |
Property income |
0.07 |
1.14 |
0.44 |
542.0% |
-61.1% |
Members at period end |
152,439 |
202,423 |
250,124 |
64.1% |
23.6% |
Source: Real Estate Investar
Real Estate Investar reported H117 results that were below our expectations at the revenue level, mainly due to fewer than expected property transactions. Membership revenues were effectively flat y-o-y and h-o-h. Transaction revenue only made up 7% of H117 revenues, so absolute changes in revenue are not material. We estimate that property income was generated from c 20 property sales, compared to 52 in H216. Management confirmed that these revenues can be lumpy, as the completion of off-the-plan sales can happen in batches. The company has already seen a higher level of activity so far in H217 than in the whole of H117. Operating expenses of A$2.5m were slightly lower than our A$2.7m forecast. While EBITDA of -A$1.1m was lower than our -A$0.4m forecast, net cash was only marginally lower than our forecast due to better working capital management.
Business update
Subscription revenues to benefit from premium service
In our last note, we described the new Concierge service, a premium membership service that provides the subscriber with all the data they could possibly need, combined with assistance in locating property to buy and helping arrange the purchase. This was launched in December 2016 and is now branded as the Premium Service. On signing, the subscriber pays a A$4,000 fee, as well as 12 monthly payments of A$83, for an annual value of $5,000. If the subscriber buys a property that has been sourced by REV, the $5,000 is reimbursed. We estimate the company had c 35 premium subscribers at the end of H117. We assume that the company signs up 70 premium subscribers per annum and that each subscription is for 12 months only. It is possible that subscribers will want to continue to use the service – if so, they will need to sign up for another 12 months on the same contract terms.
The company is no longer offering free trials of its Pro Membership, and has introduced tools to automate the sign-up process.
Growth strategy – convert members to customers
The company continues to focus on 1) growing the membership base (it beat its target of growing the membership base to 250,000 by the end of CY16) and 2) converting members to customers.
Members can become customers in several ways:
■
Subscription revenues: with the free version of the REV software, members can access a certain amount of real estate data and online tools for free. Upgrading to the Pro Membership (A$99/month) provides more comprehensive data. The Premium service is designed to make the process of investing in property as efficient as possible, and should appeal to cash-rich, time-poor individuals for whom property investment is not their main occupation.
■
Transaction revenues: REV also sees its membership base as the target market for property-related transactions and services. This includes direct property sales (where it will earn sales commissions), mortgage broking (where it earns upfront arrangement fees as well as trail commission), insurance broking, accounting, depreciation reports and courses. REV is able to offer these services to all members, not just those with a paid subscription.
By obtaining as many data points as possible from each member, the company attempts to profile members in order to target them with relevant services.
Changes to forecasts
Exhibit 3: Changes to forecasts
A$'000 |
FY17 |
FY18 |
||||
Old |
New |
Change |
Old |
New |
Change |
|
Revenue |
8,251 |
6,011 |
-27.2% |
11,835 |
7,225 |
-39.0% |
Gross Profit |
4,863 |
3,379 |
-30.5% |
7,567 |
4,438 |
-41.3% |
Operating expenses |
(5,161) |
(4,219) |
-18.3% |
(5,760) |
(4,137) |
-28.2% |
EBITDA |
(298) |
(840) |
181.9% |
1,807 |
301 |
-83.3% |
EBIT |
(714) |
(1,311) |
83.5% |
1,378 |
(119) |
-108.6% |
Normalised profit after tax |
(694) |
(1,307) |
88.5% |
1,376 |
(122) |
-108.8% |
Reported profit after tax |
(702) |
(1,316) |
87.4% |
1,368 |
(130) |
-109.5% |
EPS normalised (A$) |
(0.83) |
(1.56) |
87.4% |
1.62 |
(0.15) |
-109.5% |
Net cash |
158 |
126 |
-20.0% |
1,190 |
451 |
-62.1% |
Revenue split |
||||||
Membership revenue |
3,479 |
3,299 |
-5.2% |
4,888 |
3,743 |
-23.4% |
Transaction income |
481 |
402 |
-16.4% |
793 |
695 |
-12.4% |
Property income |
4,291 |
2,310 |
-46.2% |
6,154 |
2,787 |
-54.7% |
Total revenues |
8,251 |
6,011 |
-27.2% |
11,835 |
7,225 |
-39.0% |
Gross margin |
58.9% |
56.2% |
63.9% |
61.4% |
||
EBITDA margin |
-3.6% |
-14.0% |
15.3% |
4.2% |
||
EBIT margin |
-8.7% |
-21.8% |
11.6% |
-1.6% |
||
Source: Edison Investment Research
We have revised our forecasts to reflect H117 performance. We have reduced our revenues by 27% in FY17 and 39% in FY18, with the largest reductions from lower property sales over the forecast period. We have reflected a reduction in operating costs, which partially offsets the reduction in gross profit in both years. We forecast the company achieves positive EBITDA in H217. We assume that with good working capital management, the company will still be in a net cash position by the end of FY17. However, the company has noted that it is likely that it will seek to raise funds in the next 12 months.
Valuation
We have revised our DCF to take account of H117 results and our new forecasts. Using a WACC of 13.5% and a long-term growth rate of 2% results in a valuation of 6.7c compared to the current share price of 3c. A 1% increase/decrease in the WACC results in a valuation of 6.1c/7.4c. The table below shows some of the key assumptions in our DCF calculation:
Exhibit 4: DCF assumptions
DCF assumptions |
FY16a |
FY17e |
FY18e |
FY22e |
CAGR 16-22e |
Membership (at y/e) |
202,423 |
300,149 |
356,577 |
442,724 |
13.9% |
Paid subscribers (at y/e) |
2,818 |
3,062 |
3,584 |
4,857 |
9.5% |
% of members |
1.39% |
1.02% |
1.01% |
1.10% |
|
No. transactions |
28 |
77 |
183 |
419 |
56.6% |
No. property sales |
52 |
104 |
124 |
158 |
20.3% |
Subscription revenue (A$m) |
3.29 |
3.30 |
3.74 |
4.83 |
6.6% |
Transaction income (A$m) |
0.41 |
0.40 |
0.69 |
1.53 |
24.6% |
Property income (A$m) |
1.21 |
2.31 |
2.79 |
3.57 |
19.8% |
Total revenue (A$m) |
4.90 |
6.01 |
7.22 |
9.94 |
12.5% |
EBITDA (A$m) |
-1.05 |
-0.84 |
0.30 |
1.95 |
|
EBITDA margin |
-21.3% |
-14.0% |
4.2% |
19.7% |
Source: Real Estate Investar, Edison Investment Research
Since the IPO, the share price has declined to 3c from the 20c issue price. As the company is at a relatively early stage of its new strategy, we believe investors are heavily discounting the company’s ability to reach break-even and grow to the level of profitability in our longer-term forecasts. Data points that will provide evidence that the new strategy is on track include quarterly growth in members and subscribers, growth in property sales and other property-related transactions and good control of the operating cost base.
Exhibit 5: Financial summary
A$'000s |
2015 |
2016 |
2017e |
2018e |
||
30 June |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
||
PROFIT & LOSS |
||||||
Revenue |
|
|
4,023 |
4,904 |
6,011 |
7,225 |
Cost of Sales |
(2,137) |
(2,811) |
(2,631) |
(2,786) |
||
Gross Profit |
1,886 |
2,092 |
3,379 |
4,438 |
||
EBITDA |
|
|
(773) |
(1,046) |
(840) |
301 |
Operating Profit (before amort. and except.) |
(1,068) |
(1,461) |
(1,311) |
(119) |
||
Intangible Amortisation |
0 |
(2) |
(8) |
(8) |
||
Exceptionals |
0 |
202 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Operating Profit |
(1,068) |
(1,261) |
(1,319) |
(127) |
||
Net Interest |
(37) |
(34) |
3 |
(3) |
||
Profit Before Tax (norm) |
|
|
(1,105) |
(1,495) |
(1,307) |
(122) |
Profit Before Tax (FRS 3) |
|
|
(1,105) |
(1,295) |
(1,316) |
(130) |
Tax |
(989) |
(70) |
0 |
0 |
||
Profit After Tax (norm) |
(2,094) |
(1,565) |
(1,307) |
(122) |
||
Profit After Tax (FRS 3) |
(2,094) |
(1,365) |
(1,316) |
(130) |
||
Average Number of Shares Outstanding (m) |
39.9 |
65.3 |
84.5 |
84.5 |
||
EPS - normalised (c ) |
|
|
(5.2) |
(2.4) |
(1.6) |
(0.2) |
EPS - normalised and fully diluted (c ) |
|
(5.2) |
(2.4) |
(1.6) |
(0.2) |
|
EPS - (IFRS) (c ) |
|
|
(5.2) |
(2.1) |
(1.6) |
(0.2) |
Dividend per share (c ) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
||
Gross Margin (%) |
46.9 |
42.7 |
56.2 |
61.4 |
||
EBITDA Margin (%) |
-19.2 |
-21.3 |
-14.0 |
4.2 |
||
Operating Margin (before GW and except.) (%) |
-26.5 |
-29.8 |
-21.8 |
-1.6 |
||
BALANCE SHEET |
||||||
Fixed Assets |
|
|
1,838 |
2,751 |
2,538 |
2,158 |
Intangible Assets |
1,656 |
1,619 |
1,442 |
1,313 |
||
Tangible Assets |
45 |
89 |
116 |
195 |
||
Investments |
136 |
1,043 |
981 |
650 |
||
Current Assets |
|
|
824 |
4,325 |
2,979 |
3,289 |
Stocks |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Debtors |
695 |
2,053 |
2,615 |
2,600 |
||
Cash |
129 |
2,272 |
364 |
689 |
||
Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Current Liabilities |
|
|
(4,548) |
(3,191) |
(2,661) |
(2,660) |
Creditors |
(3,841) |
(2,951) |
(2,423) |
(2,422) |
||
Short term borrowings |
(706) |
(241) |
(238) |
(238) |
||
Long Term Liabilities |
|
|
(140) |
(113) |
(68) |
(128) |
Long term borrowings |
(6) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other long term liabilities |
(134) |
(113) |
(68) |
(128) |
||
Net Assets |
|
|
(2,026) |
3,771 |
2,789 |
2,659 |
CASH FLOW |
||||||
Operating Cash Flow |
|
|
(252) |
(2,160) |
(1,115) |
316 |
Net Interest |
(11) |
3 |
5 |
(3) |
||
Tax |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Capex |
(552) |
(205) |
(413) |
(320) |
||
Acquisitions/disposals |
0 |
(143) |
(382) |
0 |
||
Financing |
164 |
4,549 |
0 |
0 |
||
Dividends |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Net Cash Flow |
(651) |
2,043 |
(1,904) |
(6) |
||
Opening net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(68) |
583 |
(2,031) |
(126) |
HP finance leases initiated |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
0 |
571 |
(0) |
331 |
||
Closing net debt/(cash) |
|
|
583 |
(2,031) |
(126) |
(451) |
Source: Real Estate Investar, Edison Investment Research
|
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National Grid’s high visibility revenues, underwritten by regulatory returns across the UK and US, offer equity holders an attractive combination of asset growth and a 4.3% dividend yield. Both the UK and US businesses are well run. The UK business has predictability of revenues until the end of the current regulatory period in 2021 and is delivering returns ahead of OFGEM’s expected ‘base returns’. In the US, a rate filing programme is underway, which will result in enhanced returns in the years ahead. Now that the sale of the UK Gas Distribution is complete, management can continue to focus on delivering shareholder returns across its business units. Management targets 5-7% asset growth, and our fair value per ADR of $69.40 offers 9.1% upside versus current prices.