StatPro Group
Written by
StatPro Group |
Outlook underpinned by record pipeline |
Interim results |
Software & comp services |
5 August 2016 |
Share price performance
Business description
Next events
Analysts
StatPro Group is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
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Following eight years of development, StatPro is beginning to see the benefits of its cloud strategy, as it reported a 19% growth in H1 adjusted EBITDA (13% at constant currencies). This included initial contributions from Investor Analytics and InfoVest Consulting, which were acquired early in the period. StatPro has its strongest ever pipeline of new business and the final piece in the cloud strategy – Revolution Performance – is scheduled for commercial launch next month. Hence, with StatPro’s US-based financial software peers and SaaS companies trading on lofty multiples, we continue to believe there is significant upside in the shares.
Year |
Revenue (£m) |
PBT* |
EPS* |
DPS |
P/E |
Yield |
12/14 |
32.0 |
2.6 |
2.7 |
2.9 |
39.1 |
2.7 |
12/15 |
30.2 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
40.6 |
2.7 |
12/16e |
35.5 |
2.8 |
2.7 |
2.9 |
39.1 |
2.7 |
12/17e |
37.6 |
3.7 |
3.7 |
2.9 |
28.5 |
2.7 |
Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.
Interim results: Recurring revenue book up 26%
Group revenue grew by 14%, or 11% at constant currencies, to £17.6m. This included 64% growth in StatPro Revolution, the group’s cloud services platform, to £4.02m. The traditional StatPro Seven product line slipped by 12% to £8.99m. Annualised recurring revenue (ARR) jumped by 26% to £36.2m, including £4.0m from acquisitions and £3.0m from currency movements, including the impact from the sharp fall in the British pound late in the period. The group ARR provides a strong guide to future performance as 93% of group revenues are recurring, with the balance from professional services. StatPro is set to launch Revolution Performance – its transaction-based performance analytics solution – next month. Revolution Performance could provide significant upside to the numbers, as it provides an opportunity for customers to simplify their IT functions and hence reduce their total cost of ownership. Further, it processes data much faster than traditional solutions by drawing on computing power over the internet.
Forecasts: Revenues and costs rise mainly on FX
We have increased our revenue and costs forecasts, largely due to the decline in pound sterling. However, if the GBP remains depressed, we would expect further upgrades as the year progresses. EPS edge only modestly higher as we have also boosted financing costs and minority interests. Noting that the group financed the IA acquisition with US$ debt, and given the significant H1 tax payments, we have moved up our year-end net debt forecast by £0.7m to £8.6m.
Valuation: Highly scalable cloud computing upside
StatPro’s stock trades on c 39x our maintained FY16e EPS, which falls to c 29x in FY17e. Alternatively, the shares trade on c 2.0x FY17e EV/sales, one-third of the level of StatPro’s larger US peers, which mostly trade above 5x EV/sales, while US-based pure SaaS companies typically trade in the region of 4.2-7.0x EV/sales.
Forecasts: Revenues and costs rise mainly on FX
We have increased our FY16 and FY17 revenue and costs forecasts, mainly due to the decline in pound sterling. We increased Data revenue due to stronger-than-expected performance. We have also boosted financing costs and minority interests, so EPS only edges marginally higher.
Exhibit 1: Half-by-half analysis
2015 |
2016e |
2017e |
|||||
(£000s) |
H1 |
H2 |
FY |
H1 |
H2e |
FY |
FY |
Traditional software rental |
10,270 |
9,220 |
19,490 |
8,990 |
8,704 |
17,694 |
15,694 |
StatPro Revolution |
2,450 |
3,270 |
5,720 |
4,020 |
4,613 |
8,633 |
12,115 |
Data |
1,680 |
1,660 |
3,340 |
1,810 |
1,804 |
3,614 |
3,686 |
Professional services |
1,040 |
600 |
1,640 |
1,000 |
1,100 |
2,100 |
2,142 |
Acquisitions |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1,730 |
1,725 |
3,455 |
4,008 |
Total revenue |
15,444 |
14,743 |
30,187 |
17,546 |
17,950 |
35,496 |
37,645 |
Op expenses (before devt costs) |
(14,433) |
(13,414) |
(27,847) |
(16,415) |
(16,152) |
(32,567) |
(33,747) |
Capitalisation of dev costs (net) |
81 |
431 |
512 |
158 |
212 |
370 |
252 |
Adjusted operating profit |
1,092 |
1,760 |
2,852 |
1,289 |
2,010 |
3,299 |
4,150 |
Operating Margin |
7.1% |
11.9% |
9.4% |
7.3% |
11.2% |
9.3% |
11.0% |
Net interest |
(162) |
(128) |
(290) |
(357) |
(178) |
(535) |
(470) |
Edison profit before tax (norm) |
930 |
1,632 |
2,562 |
932 |
1,833 |
2,765 |
3,680 |
Amortisation of acquired intangibles |
(32) |
0 |
(32) |
(546) |
(554) |
(1,100) |
(1,100) |
Share-based payments |
(77) |
(44) |
(121) |
(105) |
(95) |
(200) |
(213) |
Exceptional items |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(1,241) |
0 |
(1,241) |
0 |
Profit before tax (FRS 3) |
821 |
1,588 |
2,409 |
(960) |
1,184 |
224 |
2,368 |
Source: StatPro Group accounts, Edison Investment Research estimates
Within the divisional split we have shifted InfoVest from Traditional software to Acquisitions, which explains this category’s sharp rise while Traditional software moves up modestly. We note that InfoVest is highly profitable, as reflected in the minority interest line. More Professional services are expected to be required as Revolution Performance contracts start to roll in, as customisation and data migration work will be required. However, this work could also involve InfoVest’s ETL product line and consulting skills.
Exhibit 2: Forecast changes
Old |
New |
Change |
Old |
New |
Change |
|
(£000s) |
2016e |
2016e |
(%) |
2017e |
2017e |
(%) |
Revenues |
|
|
||||
Traditional software rental |
17,512 |
17,694 |
1.0 |
15,562 |
15,694 |
0.8 |
StatPro Revolution |
8,410 |
8,633 |
2.6 |
11,783 |
12,115 |
2.8 |
Data |
3,286 |
3,614 |
10.0 |
3,351 |
3,686 |
10.0 |
Professional services |
2,000 |
2,100 |
5.0 |
2,040 |
2,142 |
5.0 |
Acquisitions - Investor Analytics & InfoVest |
3,205 |
3,455 |
7.8 |
3,671 |
4,008 |
9.2 |
Group revenue |
34,413 |
35,496 |
3.1 |
36,408 |
37,645 |
3.4 |
Growth (%) |
14.0 |
17.6 |
5.8 |
6.1 |
||
Gross Profit |
34,413 |
35,496 |
3.1 |
36,408 |
37,645 |
3.4 |
Op expenses (before dev costs) |
(31,542) |
(32,567) |
3.3 |
(32,843) |
(33,747) |
2.8 |
Capitalisation of dev costs (net) |
53 |
370 |
602.6 |
157 |
252 |
60.7 |
Adjusted operating profit |
2,924 |
3,299 |
12.8 |
3,721 |
4,150 |
11.5 |
Operating margin (%) |
8.5 |
9.3 |
10.2 |
11.0 |
||
Growth (%) |
2.5 |
15.7 |
27.3 |
25.8 |
||
Net interest |
(385) |
(535) |
39.0 |
(345) |
(470) |
36.2 |
Profit before tax norm |
2,539 |
2,765 |
8.9 |
3,376 |
3,680 |
9.0 |
Amortisation of acquired intangibles |
0 |
(1,100) |
0 |
(1,100) |
||
Share based payments |
(200) |
(200) |
0.0 |
(213) |
(213) |
0.0 |
Exceptional items (net of tax) |
(1,500) |
(894) |
(40.4) |
0 |
0 |
|
Profit before tax |
839 |
571 |
(31.9) |
3,163 |
2,368 |
(25.2) |
Taxation |
(711) |
(774) |
8.9 |
(945) |
(1,030) |
9.0 |
Minority interest |
(56) |
(213) |
280.4 |
(71) |
(271) |
281.3 |
Net income |
72 |
(416) |
(675.1) |
2,147 |
1,066 |
(50.3) |
Adjusted EPS (p) |
2.7 |
2.7 |
0.3 |
3.6 |
3.7 |
0.8 |
Source: StatPro Group accounts, Edison Investment Research estimates
Exhibit 3: Financial summary
£'000s |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016e |
2017e |
||
Year end 31 December |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
||
PROFIT & LOSS |
||||||||
Revenue |
|
|
32,001 |
32,486 |
32,018 |
30,187 |
35,496 |
37,645 |
Cost of Sales |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Gross Profit |
32,001 |
32,486 |
32,018 |
30,187 |
35,496 |
37,645 |
||
EBITDA |
|
|
6,728 |
5,463 |
4,359 |
4,044 |
4,715 |
5,679 |
Adjusted Operating Profit |
|
|
5,534 |
4,327 |
2,875 |
2,852 |
3,299 |
4,150 |
Amortisation of acquired intangibles |
(440) |
(402) |
(188) |
(32) |
(1,100) |
(1,100) |
||
Exceptionals |
(693) |
(347) |
0 |
0 |
(894) |
0 |
||
Share based payments |
159 |
(192) |
(26) |
(121) |
(200) |
(213) |
||
Operating Profit |
4,560 |
3,386 |
2,661 |
2,699 |
1,106 |
2,838 |
||
Net Interest |
(493) |
(273) |
(291) |
(290) |
(535) |
(470) |
||
Profit Before Tax (norm) |
|
|
5,041 |
4,054 |
2,584 |
2,562 |
2,765 |
3,680 |
Profit Before Tax (FRS 3) |
|
|
4,067 |
3,113 |
2,370 |
2,409 |
571 |
2,368 |
Tax |
(1,387) |
(1,030) |
(774) |
(788) |
(774) |
(1,030) |
||
Profit After Tax (norm) |
3,654 |
3,024 |
1,810 |
1,774 |
1,991 |
2,650 |
||
Profit After Tax (FRS 3) |
2,680 |
2,083 |
1,596 |
1,621 |
(203) |
1,337 |
||
Minority interests |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(213) |
(271) |
||
Net income (norm) |
3,654 |
3,024 |
1,810 |
1,774 |
1,778 |
2,379 |
||
Net income (statutory) |
2,680 |
2,083 |
1,596 |
1,621 |
(416) |
1,066 |
||
Average Number of Shares Outstanding (m) |
62.2 |
67.5 |
67.5 |
67.6 |
66.2 |
65.1 |
||
EPS - normalised (p) |
|
|
5.9 |
4.5 |
2.7 |
2.6 |
2.7 |
3.7 |
EPS - FRS 3 (p) |
|
|
4.3 |
3.1 |
2.4 |
2.4 |
(0.6) |
1.6 |
Dividend per share (p) |
2.70 |
2.80 |
2.90 |
2.90 |
2.90 |
2.90 |
||
Gross Margin (%) |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
||
EBITDA Margin (%) |
21.0 |
16.8 |
13.6 |
13.4 |
13.3 |
15.1 |
||
Operating Margin (before GW and except.) (%) |
17.3 |
13.3 |
9.0 |
9.4 |
9.3 |
11.0 |
||
BALANCE SHEET |
||||||||
Fixed Assets |
|
|
60,272 |
55,992 |
56,113 |
51,857 |
58,054 |
56,995 |
Intangible Assets |
57,683 |
53,524 |
52,546 |
48,613 |
54,876 |
54,029 |
||
Tangible Assets |
1,974 |
1,883 |
2,470 |
2,233 |
2,167 |
1,955 |
||
Other assets |
615 |
585 |
1,097 |
1,011 |
1,011 |
1,011 |
||
Current Assets |
|
|
10,675 |
10,312 |
10,441 |
10,665 |
2,223 |
2,588 |
Stocks |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Debtors |
6,962 |
6,167 |
7,722 |
8,462 |
9,950 |
10,553 |
||
Cash |
3,681 |
4,014 |
2,692 |
2,203 |
(7,727) |
(7,965) |
||
Current Liabilities |
|
|
(19,927) |
(18,514) |
(20,271) |
(19,778) |
(21,638) |
(22,507) |
Creditors |
(19,913) |
(18,502) |
(20,259) |
(19,660) |
(21,520) |
(22,389) |
||
Short term borrowings |
(14) |
(12) |
(12) |
(118) |
(118) |
(118) |
||
Long Term Liabilities |
|
|
(1,400) |
(882) |
(598) |
(1,227) |
(3,325) |
(1,926) |
Long term borrowings |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(801) |
(801) |
(801) |
||
Other long term liabilities |
(1,400) |
(882) |
(598) |
(426) |
(2,524) |
(1,125) |
||
Net Assets |
|
|
49,620 |
46,908 |
45,685 |
41,517 |
35,313 |
35,149 |
CASH FLOW |
||||||||
Operating Cash Flow |
|
|
9,233 |
9,403 |
7,705 |
6,548 |
7,489 |
9,709 |
Net Interest |
(306) |
(98) |
(10) |
(84) |
(535) |
(470) |
||
Tax |
(1,261) |
(1,616) |
(1,173) |
(832) |
(1,600) |
(747) |
||
Capex |
(4,187) |
(4,412) |
(5,904) |
(4,999) |
(5,209) |
(5,411) |
||
Acquisitions/disposals |
0 |
(990) |
0 |
0 |
(5,536) |
(1,399) |
||
Equity financing |
5,689 |
0 |
2 |
64 |
(2,079) |
0 |
||
Dividends |
(1,627) |
(1,856) |
(1,889) |
(1,960) |
(1,959) |
(1,920) |
||
Net Cash Flow |
7,541 |
431 |
(1,269) |
(1,263) |
(9,429) |
(238) |
||
Opening net debt/(cash) |
|
|
3,399 |
(3,667) |
(4,002) |
(2,680) |
(1,283) |
8,646 |
Other |
(475) |
(96) |
(53) |
(134) |
(500) |
() |
||
Closing net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(3,667) |
(4,002) |
(2,680) |
(1,283) |
8,646 |
8,884 |
Source: StatPro Group accounts, Edison Investment Research estimates
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