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AVV Aveva Group Plc

3,219.00
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03 May 2024 - Closed
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Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Aveva Group Plc LSE:AVV London Ordinary Share GB00BBG9VN75 ORD 3 5/9P
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  0.00 0.00% 3,219.00 3,219.00 3,220.00 0.00 01:00:00
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AVEVA Group PLC Half-year Report (3795W)

14/11/2017 7:00am

UK Regulatory


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RNS Number : 3795W

AVEVA Group PLC

14 November 2017

14 November 2017

AVEVA GROUP PLC

INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHSED 30 SEPTEMBER 2017

AVEVA Group plc ('AVEVA' or 'the Group'), one of the world's leading providers of engineering design and information management software, today announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2017.

Financials

 
 Six months ended              2017        2016      Change 
  30 September 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Revenue                     GBP93.9m    GBP84.3m    11.5% 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Adjusted* profit 
  before tax                 GBP10.3m     GBP9.1m    13.2% 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Adjusted* diluted 
  earnings per share          12.35p       9.92p     24.5% 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Exceptional acquisition     GBP20.0m        -         - 
  costs** 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 (Loss)/profit before       (GBP12.4m)    GBP5.5m      - 
  tax 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Basic (loss)/earnings 
  per share                  (19.91p)      6.47p       - 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 Net cash                   GBP133.0m    GBP124.4m    6.8% 
-------------------------  -----------  ----------  ------- 
 

* Adjusted profit before tax and adjusted earnings per share are calculated before amortisation of intangible assets (excluding other software), share-based payments, gain/loss on fair value of forward foreign exchange contracts and exceptional items. Adjusted earnings per share also include the tax effects of these adjustments.

** Exceptional costs of GBP20.0m were incurred in relation to the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

Highlights

   --      Good performance reflects strong sales execution and more stable market conditions 
   --      Revenue increased 11.5% to GBP93.9 million (2016 - GBP84.3 million) 

-- Constant currency revenue up 5.9%, with strong growth in Asia Pacific and stabilisation in EMEA

   --      Adjusted profit before tax up 13.2% to GBP10.3 million (2016 - GBP9.1 million) 

-- Reported loss before tax of GBP12.4 million (2016 - GBP5.5 million profit) as a result of the exceptional costs incurred in relation to the Schneider Electric Software Business combination

   --      Constant currency adjusted profit before tax up 16.1% 
   --      Full year outlook remains in line with the Board's expectations 

-- Preparation for completion is on track with closure expected to be at or around the end of 2017. A further update on progress and timing will be provided in due course.

Chief Executive Officer, James Kidd said:

"I am pleased with AVEVA's performance in the first half. Although we have yet to see a broad-based recovery in our end markets, we have seen solid growth in constant currency revenue and adjusted profit before tax. This improved performance was partly driven by the changes made to the business last year, when we simplified AVEVA's management structure, giving both greater decision-making capabilities and direct accountability for performance to our regions. The Board remains confident in AVEVA's outlook for the full year and excited about the growth opportunities that the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business will bring."

Enquiries:

AVEVA Group plc

Matt Springett, Head of Investor Relations

Tel: 01223 556 655

FTI Consulting LLP

Edward Bridges / Dwight Burden

Tel: 020 3727 1000

Conference call and webcast

AVEVA management will host a conference call and audio-webcast, for registered participants, at 09:30 (GMT) today. The audio-webcast will be also accessible via the AVEVA website following the presentation.

To register for the webcast and access the presentation materials please visit:

http://www.aveva.com/en/Investors.aspx.

Conference calls dial in details:

Telephone: +44(0)20 3427 1918

Conference call code: 6603733

Participants are advised to visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the commencement of the call in order to register and, for those accessing the webcast, in order to download and install any audio software that may be required.

Conference call participants will be able to ask questions during the Q&A session, but those on the webcast will be in a listen only mode.

A full replay facility will be made available later in the day.

Strategic Review

Summary

Overview of trading

AVEVA delivered a much-improved performance in the six months to 30 September 2017. Revenue increased 11.5% to GBP93.9 million (2016 - GBP84.3 million) and on a constant currency basis revenue increased 5.9%. Adjusted profit before tax grew 13.2% to GBP10.3 million (2016 - GBP9.1 million) and on a constant currency basis increased 16.1%. On a reported basis, the Group returned a GBP12.4 million loss before tax (2016 - GBP5.5 million profit) as a result of the exceptional costs incurred in relation to the Schneider Electric Software Business combination.

This improved performance was driven by a sharp focus on execution and getting closer to our customers. This followed simplification of AVEVA's management structure with greater decision-making capabilities and direct accountability for performance being allocated to our regions. More customer-facing people were added to the Executive team, including a Chief Revenue Officer, with overall responsibility for leading Global Sales, Partnership Management and Marketing.

Market developments have also been favourable. There have been some pockets of growth in Marine, which is our second largest end market and signs of stabilisation in our largest end market of Oil & Gas.

On a regional basis, AVEVA delivered a strong performance in Asia Pacific where growth was driven by new orders from Marine customers including Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, DSEC, China Merchants Heavy Industries and Xiamen Shipbuilding.

The performance in EMEA was robust, with constant currency revenue broadly flat on the prior year, representing a significant sequential improvement in trend from H2 2017.

We also saw a good performance in the Americas, with a solid increase in recurring revenue on a constant currency basis; although there was a slight reduction in overall regional revenue due to lower Initial Licence Fees. This related to a strong prior year comparative, when the Group signed a large contract with an Owner Operator (OO) in the Power market. Market conditions in Latin America remained difficult.

AVEVA Everything3D(TM) (AVEVA E3D(TM) ) grew strongly during the period as existing customers continued to migrate and new contracts were won. It contributed around 16% of total revenue, up from approximately 11% in the prior year, representing revenue growth of some 50%.

AVEVA continues to be highly cash generative with net cash at 30 September 2017 increasing to GBP133.0 million (March 2017 - GBP130.9 million). This was after dividend payments of GBP17.3 million, losses on the translation of non-Sterling cash deposits of GBP2.0 million and exceptional cash costs relating to the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business of GBP2.4 million.

Planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business

On 5 September 2017, AVEVA and Schneider Electric announced an agreement to combine AVEVA and the Schneider Electric Software Business to create a global leader in engineering and industrial software. This proposed combination received shareholder approval on 29 September 2017 and preparation for completion is on track with closure expected to be at or around the end of 2017. A further update on progress and timing will be provided in due course.

The combination will be transformational for AVEVA and supports all of our strategic objectives in growing sales of More than 3D (MT3D) products, sales to OOs, increasing scale in Growth Markets, broadening our exposure into additional industrial end markets and developing our Software as a Service (SaaS) and Cloud offering.

It will also advance our vision for the widespread adoption of constantly-evolving Digital Assets by the capital-intensive industries that we serve. By adding new capabilities to AVEVA's engineering design and 3D visualisation technologies, the combination will enable the Group to offer customers Digital Twins of their physical assets throughout their whole life cycle.

A Digital Twin is a virtual replica of a physical asset, an evolving, digital model that updates and changes as its physical counterpart changes. Together the product portfolios of AVEVA and the Schneider Electric Software Business are in a unique position to create and visualise Digital Twins that will accompany a physical asset from the initial simulations phase, through design and build, into operations. Digital Twins can help customers reduce costs, manage change and increase safety, enabling them to leverage new technology including machine learning and the Internet of Things.

Shortly after completion of the combination, GBP550 million of cash contributed by Schneider Electric and GBP100 million of excess cash on AVEVA's balance sheet will be distributed to existing AVEVA shareholders. Together this represents approximately GBP10.14 per AVEVA share. In this context, as previously announced, AVEVA will not pay an interim dividend for the half year.

The combination is expected to create additional value for shareholders through the potential for material revenue and cost synergies over the medium term, which will be quantified post-completion.

The Group is in the process of selecting a Chief Executive Officer for the Enlarged AVEVA Group, with a proven track record and experience in managing a global software business. An announcement identifying the Chief Executive Officer and clarifying the timing of the appointment will be made as soon as practicable. James Kidd will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer until such time as the Board decides to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer, whereupon it is intended that James will be appointed to the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer in order to drive forward the strategy and integration of the Enlarged AVEVA Group.

Delivery against our strategy

AVEVA's strategy is to increase revenue by growing the addressable market for its products as the concept of the Digital Asset is more widely adopted; to sell a wider range of products; and to grow in industry verticals and geographies where the Group's market share is underweight.

During the first half, we made progress against this strategy and significantly furthered its longer-term execution through the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

More than 3D

We see a major market opportunity in selling additional engineering software tools, extending beyond our core 3D design platforms. AVEVA's MT3D sales grew 3.6% on a constant currency basis. We saw a strong performance from most of our MT3D product categories, such as Schematics and Enterprise Resource Management (ERM). ERM for Plant is gaining significant traction with customers and has a growing sales pipeline.

This was partly offset by reduced sales in Information Management, which related to the timing of expected order wins during the course of the year, rather than being illustrative of a trend. Encouragingly, together with our core 3D design products, we saw MT3D products being a feature of new business wins across the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC), OO and Marine end markets.

The combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business will transform AVEVA's MT3D offering. The combination will add a range of Process Engineering and Simulation, Planning and Scheduling, Operations Execution and Optimisation, Asset Performance Management, and Operations Control software to the portfolio. This will give the Enlarged Group an unmatched set of end-to-end solutions covering all aspects of Digital Asset management.

Owner Operators

OOs such as energy and power generation companies account for approximately 17% of our revenue. However, a much bigger market opportunity is developing as OOs increasingly adopt the Digital Asset concept to help them manage their physical assets throughout their life cycles.

We saw significant incremental business in the period from key OOs in the Power and Pharmaceuticals verticals, including additional business from EDF. Notwithstanding that, overall OO revenue declined 2.8% on a constant currency basis due to the impact of a large initial licence win in Power in the prior year comparative.

We expect the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business to accelerate AVEVA's access to the OO market as the business works with the majority of the world's leading mining, pharmaceutical, oil, food & beverage and chemical companies.

Growth markets

AVEVA delivered an excellent performance in growth markets during the first half. In particular, we achieved strong growth in China and North East Asia, driven by incremental business in the Marine market from a number of customers. This growth was driven by a combination of sales execution and more stable market conditions.

AVEVA's performance in North America was solid against a tough prior year comparative. We won a major new EPC account in the period and there is a strong pipeline of business for that region for the remainder of the financial year.

Following the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business, the Enlarged AVEVA Group will have a more evenly distributed revenue profile by region than the existing business. In particular it will have a greatly scaled-up presence in the North American market, which has been a long-term aim for AVEVA.

Broaden market exposure

A key element of our strategy has been to seek growth in markets beyond our core Oil & Gas and Marine sectors, in which demand patterns can be cyclical.

While these core end markets performed well in the period, we saw strong growth in adjacent markets, including Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals and Metals & Mining. For example, AVEVA achieved solid growth from the pharmaceuticals end market, assisted by incremental business from an OO customer win in the prior year.

The combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business will further diversify and broaden the Enlarged AVEVA Group's end markets, enhancing its position in Oil & Gas by adding mid and downstream end markets to AVEVA's predominantly upstream markets and adding leading positions in other verticals. These include Chemicals, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Mining, Water and Waste Water, and Critical Infrastructure.

SaaS and the Cloud

AVEVA's business already benefits from high levels of recurring subscription revenue, similar to that usually associated with Cloud delivery. Our strategy is to continue to be technologically ready for Cloud and SaaS delivery in line with customer demand. So far, we have made it possible for customers to access products including AVEVA NET(TM) , Information Standards Manager and AVEVA E3D on our Cloud platform, although currently this is not a significant revenue stream for AVEVA.

Our customers see the value and potential Cloud offers to drive greater efficiency by promoting collaboration through the supply chain and across the operating cycle of their assets, to improve quality and reduce overall costs. We continue to work in partnership with our customers in delivering our solutions supporting their move to Cloud, and expect to continue to launch further capabilities on the AVEVA Connect(TM) platform as part of our strategic direction.

Like AVEVA, the Schneider Electric Software Business has also developed a Cloud platform for certain products and is transitioning towards a greater degree of product delivery through the Cloud.

AVEVA World Summit 2017

In October 2017, we hosted our annual AVEVA World Summit in Cambridge and marked 50 years since the organisation was founded. The AVEVA World Summit is a thought leadership event for business executives.

This year's theme was 'Digitalisation: Getting it Right'. Some 350 business executives from 33 countries came to the event to attend Plant, Marine and Delivering Digital streams. Presenters included companies as diverse as Boehringer Ingelheim, BAE Systems, GSK, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, McDermott Inc., Siemens, Southern Company and Worley Parsons.

The prevailing topic of discussion at the event was the journey towards digitalisation. Many participants felt that they were in the early stages of that journey, but that the potential benefits of implementing a full Digital Twin strategy could deliver significant advantages around efficiency, cost reduction and safety.

Outlook

Together with strong sales execution, we have seen signs of stabilisation in our Oil & Gas end markets and some pockets of growth in the Marine market. As such, the Board remains confident in its full year expectations.

Looking to the longer term, we believe that AVEVA has both the market opportunity and the right strategy to deliver substantial growth. The combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business is expected to enhance these growth prospects by enabling an end-to-end engineering and industrial software platform to provide a Digital Twin to accompany the whole life cycle of physical assets in capital-intensive industries.

James Kidd

Chief Executive Officer

14 November 2017

Finance Review

Overview of financial progress

AVEVA delivered a good performance in the six months to 30 September 2017. Total revenue for the period was GBP93.9 million which was up 11.5% compared to the first half of the previous year (2016 - GBP84.3 million). On a constant currency basis revenue grew 5.9% and adjusted PBT grew 16.1%.

On an adjusted basis, the Group made a profit before tax of GBP10.3 million. On a reported basis, the Group made a loss before tax of GBP12.4 million (2016 - GBP5.5 million profit) due to the impact of GBP20.0 million of exceptional costs associated with the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

The Group has a strong balance sheet with no debt and at 30 September 2017 had a cash balance of GBP133.0 million (March 2017 - GBP130.9 million).

The results for the half year are summarised below.

 
                                                            Constant 
 GBPm                       Six months ended    Reported    currency 
                              30 September        change    change** 
                          ------------------- 
                               2017      2016 
 Revenue 
 Annual Fees                   37.2      34.7       7.1%        1.5% 
 Rental Licence 
  Fees                         31.7      29.4       7.9%        2.6% 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 Recurring revenue             68.9      64.1       7.5%        2.0% 
 Initial Licence 
  Fees                         16.1      11.6      38.7%       33.6% 
 Training and 
  Services                      8.9       8.6       3.8%      (2.4)% 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 Total revenue                 93.9      84.3      11.5%        5.9% 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 
 Cost of sales                (6.7)     (6.7)       1.0%      (3.7)% 
 
 Gross profit                  87.2      77.6      12.4%        6.7% 
 
 Operating expenses*         (77.1)    (68.8)      12.0%        5.2% 
 
 Net interest                   0.2       0.3    (33.0)%     (35.9)% 
 
 Adjusted profit 
  before tax                   10.3       9.1      13.2%       16.1% 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 Normalised 
  adjustments                (22.7)     (3.6)          -           - 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 Reported (loss)/profit 
  before tax                 (12.4)       5.5          -           - 
                          ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 

* Operating expenses adjusted to exclude amortisation of intangible assets (excluding other software), share-based payments, gain/loss on forward foreign exchange contracts and exceptional items.

** Constant currency is calculated by restating the period's reported results to reflect the previous year's average exchange rates.

Revenue

Revenue model

We operate a 'right-to-use' licensing model. Customers can choose to pay Initial Licence Fees, followed by lower mandatory Annual Fees to cover support, maintenance and upgrades; or Rental Licence Fees. The latter are usually paid upfront on an annual basis.

AVEVA also generates revenue from Training and Services. This is typically associated with the implementation of new installations, customisation to meet specific customer requirements and end user training.

Revenue by category

AVEVA generated 17.1% of revenue from Initial Licence Fees, 39.6% of revenue from Annual Fees, 33.8% of revenue from Rental Licence Fees, and 9.5% from Training and Services.

Recurring revenue, which consists of Annual Fees and Rental Licence Fees, increased 7.5% to GBP68.9 million (2016 - GBP64.1 million). On a constant currency basis, recurring revenue grew 2.0% due to growth in both Annual and Rental Fees. Additional growth through strong new Initial Licence wins resulted in a slight fall in recurring revenue as a proportion of total revenue to 73.4% (2016 - 76.0%).

Annual fees grew 7.1% to GBP37.2 million (2016 - GBP34.7 million) and were up 1.5% in constant currency terms. This primarily reflected new customer wins in the previous year.

Rental Licence Fees grew 7.9% to GBP31.7 million (2016 - GBP29.4 million) and were up 2.6% in constant currency terms, underpinned by significant renewals and extensions from EPCs serving the Oil & Gas industry, OOs in the Power sector and a European Marine customer.

Initial Licence Fees grew 38.7% to GBP16.1 million (2016 - GBP11.6 million) and were up 33.6% in constant currency terms. This strong performance primarily reflected new order wins from Marine customers in Asia Pacific.

Training and Services revenue of GBP8.9 million was largely flat in constant currency terms (2016 - GBP8.6 million).

Regional execution

On a regional basis, the Group saw a significant improvement in performance in Europe, strong growth in Asia Pacific and a small decline in the Americas, which was entirely due to a reduction in Initial Licence Fees versus a strong comparative in the prior year.

Overall, reported revenue was impacted by a GBP4.7 million (5.6%) benefit related to foreign exchange translation. The Group's most material currencies were the Euro, Sterling, US Dollar, Korean Won and Japanese Yen.

An analysis of revenue by geography is set out below:

 
                                                   Constant 
 GBPm              Six months ended    Reported    currency 
                     30 September        change    change** 
                 ------------------- 
                      2017      2016 
 
 EMEA                 44.5      42.1       5.7%      (0.3)% 
 Asia Pacific         37.9      29.7      27.8%       22.7% 
 Americas             11.5      12.5     (7.8)%     (13.2)% 
 Total revenue        93.9      84.3      11.5%        5.9% 
                 ---------  --------  ---------  ---------- 
 

EMEA

In EMEA revenue grew 5.7% to GBP44.5 million (2016 - GBP42.1 million). On a constant currency basis revenue was broadly flat on the prior year, representing a significant sequential improvement in the trend from H1 2017.

Overall market conditions in EMEA were relatively stable in the first half and we saw some pockets of growth in Power, Oil & Gas and Pharmaceuticals. On a geographic basis, we saw solid growth in several of our larger markets including the UK, France, Germany and Austria.

Asia Pacific

Revenue from the Asia Pacific region was GBP37.9 million (2016 - GBP29.7 million) an increase of 27.8% over the prior year with a constant currency increase of 22.7%. This strong growth was driven by an increase in Initial Licence Fees, which nearly doubled year-on-year on a constant currency basis. It was also supported by good constant currency growth in Annual Fees and Rental Fees.

On a geographic basis, we saw strong performances in Japan, China and South Korea.

Americas

AVEVA has a lower market share in the Americas versus EMEA and Asia Pacific. As such, our strategy has been focused on adding new customers to enhance AVEVA's recurring revenue stream.

Revenue in the period reduced by GBP1.0 million to GBP11.5 million (2016 - GBP12.5 million). This small reduction reflected lower Initial Licence Fees, due to a strong prior year comparative when the Group signed a large contract with an OO in the Power market. However, both Annual Fees and Rental Fees increased in constant currency terms, reflecting a growing recurring revenue stream.

We achieved a significant new EPC customer win with Zachry Holdings during the period and as noted above, there is a strong pipeline of business for the region for the remainder of the financial year.

Cost management

AVEVA has a largely fixed cost base, albeit with some annual wage inflation embedded within it.

The cost of sales reduced by 3.7% on an adjusted constant currency basis, mainly due to the annualisation of cost savings initiatives implemented in the prior year. On a reported basis, cost of sales increased by 1.0%.

On a reported currency basis, adjusted costs were adversely impacted by currency translation and exchange losses relating to non-functional currency translation. These accounted for increases of GBP3.0 million and GBP1.7 million respectively. On an adjusted constant currency basis operating costs were up 5.2%.

An analysis of operating expenses is set out below.

 
                                 Research             Selling   Administrative 
 GBPm                       & Development    and distribution         expenses    Total 
 As reported                         17.1                43.9             38.8     99.8 
 Normalised adjustments             (2.1)               (0.4)           (20.2)   (22.7) 
 Normalised costs                    15.0                43.5             18.6     77.1 
 
 2016                                13.2                41.8             13.8     68.8 
 Change                             13.0%                4.2%            34.7%    12.0% 
 Constant currency 
  change                             8.7%              (0.5)%            19.3%     5.2% 
 

Normalised adjustments include exceptional costs associated with the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business of GBP20.0 million, amortisation of intangibles (excluding other software) of GBP2.9 million (2016 - GBP2.8 million), share-based payments of GBP0.8 million (2016 - GBP0.4 million), a gain on fair value of forward foreign exchange contracts of GBP0.5 million (2016 - loss of GBP0.4 million) and other exceptional gains of GBP0.5 million (2016 - exceptional costs of GBP0.1 million).

On a normalised basis, Research & Development costs were GBP15.0 million (2016 - GBP13.2 million) with the increase in expenditure in normalised constant currency terms of 8.7% mainly related to investment in AVEVA's operations in Hyderabad, which included an increase in headcount and inflation. On a reported basis, Research & Development costs increased 10.0%.

Selling and distribution expenses include the costs of our direct sales force as well as our regionally-based technical support and marketing teams and in total were GBP43.5 million (2016 - GBP41.8 million). The moderate decrease in overall costs on a normalised constant currency basis reflected the annualisation of cost savings made in the prior year, partly offset by some cost inflation.

Administrative expenses were GBP18.6 million (2016 - GBP13.8 million). The increase in costs on a normalised constant currency basis of 19.3% was driven by investment in corporate functions (IT and HR), higher National Insurance costs relating to employee share schemes due to the improvement in the share price and staff bonus costs with the improved business performance.

Profit before tax

Adjusted profit before tax was GBP10.3 million (2016 - GBP9.1 million), an increase of 13.2%, principally due to the growth in revenue. On a constant currency basis, adjusted profit before tax grew 16.1%. Constant currency is calculated by restating the period's reported results to reflect the previous year's average exchange rates and removing exchange gains or losses relating to non-functional currency translation.

The reported loss before tax was GBP12.4 million (2016 - GBP5.5 million profit). The change was largely due to underlying growth being more than offset by the exceptional transaction costs associated with the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business of GBP20.0 million.

Taxation

The adjusted effective tax rate for the half year was 23.2% (2016 - 30.0%). This half year tax rate is slightly higher than we would expect for the full year due to a higher proportion of profit being earned outside the UK in the six month period.

AVEVA's full year 2017 adjusted effective tax rate was 22.1% (2016 - 22.5%). We expect to see a trend towards a reducing tax rate continuing as the UK corporate rate reduces and the increasing benefit from Patent Box relief.

Earnings per share

Adjusted diluted EPS increased 24.5% to 12.35 pence (2016 - 9.92 pence).

The basic loss per share was 19.91 pence (2016 - 6.47 pence profit), reflecting the exceptional costs of GBP20.0 million associated with the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

Dividends

Following a rebalance of the interim and final dividends, placing more emphasis on the interim than in prior periods, during the first half, the Group paid a final dividend in respect of 2016/17 of 27.0 pence per share (2015/16 - 30.0 pence) at a cost of GBP17.3 million (2016 - GBP19.2 million).

At or around completion of the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business, GBP550 million of cash contributed by Schneider Electric and GBP100 million of excess cash on AVEVA's balance sheet will be distributed to existing AVEVA shareholders. Together this represents approximately GBP10.14 per AVEVA share. In this context, as previously announced, the Board is not declaring an interim dividend in relation to the half year.

Following the planned completion of the combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business, AVEVA intends to maintain its existing progressive dividend policy, taking account of the earnings profile of the Enlarged AVEVA Group.

Cash flows and balance sheet

Net cash (including treasury deposits) at 30 September 2017 was GBP133.0 million (March 2017 - GBP130.9 million).

Cash generated from operating activities before tax was GBP25.3 million (2016 - GBP36.4 million). The key driver of the reduced year-on-year performance related to a larger than usual cash inflow from trade debtors in the prior period. The Group paid GBP2.4 million relating to transaction costs associated with the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

Gross trade receivables at 30 September 2017 were GBP49.4 million (March 2017 - GBP91.1 million, September 2016 - GBP46.6 million). The bad debt provision was GBP6.5 million (March 2017 - GBP6.1 million, September 2016 - GBP7.4 million) and deferred income was GBP34.7 million (March 2017 - GBP45.9 million, September 2016 - GBP37.6 million).

Trade payables and other liabilities were GBP46.3 million (March 2017 - GBP42.9 million, September 2016 - GBP28.9 million) with the increase primarily relating to accrued transaction costs relating to the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business.

David Ward

Chief Financial Officer

14 November 2017

Independent review report

Introduction

We have been engaged by the Company to review the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 September 2017 which comprise the Consolidated income statement, the Consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the Consolidated balance sheet, the Consolidated statement of changes in shareholders' equity, the Consolidated cash flow statement and the related notes 1 to 18. We have read the other information contained in the half-yearly financial report and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the information in the condensed set of financial statements.

This report is made solely to the Company in accordance with guidance contained in International Standard on Review Engagements 2410 (UK and Ireland) 'Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity' issued by the Auditing Practices Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company, for our work, for this report, or for the conclusions we have formed.

Directors' responsibilities

The half-yearly financial report is the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the Directors. The Directors are responsible for preparing the half-yearly financial report in accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.

As disclosed in note 2, the annual financial statements of the Group are prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union. The condensed set of financial statements included in this half-yearly financial report has been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, 'Interim Financial Reporting', as adopted by the European Union.

Our responsibility

Our responsibility is to express to the Company a conclusion on the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report based on our review.

Scope of review

We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410, 'Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity' issued by the Auditing Practices Board for use in the United Kingdom. A review of interim financial information consists of making enquiries, primarily of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters, and applying analytical and other review procedures. A review is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) and consequently does not enable us to obtain assurance that we would become aware of all significant matters that might be identified in an audit. Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion.

Conclusion

Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 September 2017 is not prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 as adopted by the European Union and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.

Ernst & Young LLP

Reading

14 November 2017

Consolidated income statement

for the six months ended 30 September 2017

 
                                            Six months ended        Year ended 
                                              30 September            31 March 
                                       -------------------------- 
                                               2017          2016         2017 
                                             GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                Notes   (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Revenue                          5,6        93,917        84,252      215,831 
 Cost of sales                              (6,762)       (6,695)     (14,233) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Gross profit                                87,155        77,557      201,598 
 Operating expenses 
 Research & Development 
  costs                                    (17,061)      (15,517)     (31,884) 
 Selling and administration 
  expenses                          7      (82,692)      (58,669)    (124,948) 
 Total operating expenses                  (99,753)      (74,186)    (156,832) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/profit from 
  operations                               (12,598)         3,371       44,766 
 Other income                       8             -         1,753        1,753 
 Finance revenue                                313           405          777 
 Finance expense                              (114)          (70)        (396) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Analysis of (loss)/profit 
  before tax 
 Adjusted profit before 
  tax                               2        10,287         9,090       55,004 
 Amortisation of intangibles 
  (excluding other 
  software)                                 (2,914)       (2,803)      (5,806) 
 Share-based payments                         (825)         (363)      (1,084) 
 Gains/(losses) on 
  fair value of forward 
  foreign exchange 
  contracts                                     540         (355)          669 
 Exceptional items                  8      (19,487)         (110)      (1,883) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/profit before 
  tax                                      (12,399)         5,459       46,900 
 Income tax expense                 9         (335)       (1,319)      (8,834) 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/profit for 
  the period attributable 
  to equity holders 
  of the parent                            (12,734)         4,140       38,066 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/earnings per 
  share                            11 
 - basic                                   (19.91p)         6.47p       59.52p 
 - diluted                                 (19.91p)         6.46p       59.36p 
 Adjusted earnings 
  per share: 
 - basic                                     12.35p         9.94p       66.98p 
 - diluted                                   12.35p         9.92p       66.81p 
 Proposed dividend 
  per share                        10             -         13.0p        27.0p 
-----------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

for the six months ended 30 September 2017

 
                                            Six months ended        Year ended 
                                              30 September            31 March 
                                       -------------------------- 
                                               2017          2016         2017 
                                             GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                        (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/profit for the period              (12,734)         4,140       38,066 
 Items that may be reclassified 
  to profit or loss in subsequent 
  periods: 
 Exchange difference arising 
  on translation of foreign 
  operations                                    216         5,457        6,675 
 Current tax on exchange 
  loss/(gain) on retranslation 
  of foreign operations                          28             -        (406) 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total of items that may 
  be reclassified to profit 
  or loss in subsequent periods:                244         5,457        6,269 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Items that will not be reclassified 
  to profit or loss in subsequent 
  periods: 
 Remeasurement gain on defined 
  benefit plans                               1,021           110        2,170 
 Income tax effect                            (175)          (67)        (395) 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total of items that will 
  not be reclassified to profit 
  or loss in subsequent periods                 846            43        1,775 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total comprehensive (loss)/income 
  for the period, net of tax               (11,644)         9,640       46,110 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Consolidated balance sheet

30 September 2017

 
                                                                      As at 
                                         As at 30 September        31 March 
                                     -------------------------- 
                                             2017          2016        2017 
                                           GBP000        GBP000      GBP000 
                              Notes   (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (audited) 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Non-current assets 
 Goodwill                                  54,786        54,357      54,305 
 Other intangible 
  assets                                   18,939        23,315      21,868 
 Property, plant 
  and equipment                             6,965         7,167       7,432 
 Deferred tax assets                        3,397         3,121       3,594 
 Other receivables               13         1,146         1,378       1,499 
 Retirement benefit 
  surplus                        16         2,881             -       1,222 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
                                           88,114        89,338      89,920 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Current assets 
 Trade and other 
  receivables                    13        53,185        50,513      93,279 
 Financial assets                15           345             -           - 
 Treasury deposits               12        45,424        59,430      45,486 
 Cash and cash equivalents       12        87,533        65,014      85,462 
 Current tax assets                         5,860         5,025       3,557 
                                          192,347       179,982     227,784 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Total assets                             280,461       269,320     317,704 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Equity 
 Issued share capital                       2,276         2,275       2,275 
 Share premium                             27,288        27,288      27,288 
 Other reserves                            12,941        11,678      12,896 
 Retained earnings                        149,849       150,554     178,223 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Total equity                             192,354       191,795     220,682 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Current liabilities 
 Trade and other 
  payables                       14        46,319        28,888      42,876 
 Deferred revenue                          34,672        37,633      45,894 
 Financial liabilities           15             -         1,219         196 
 Current tax liabilities                      245         1,248         865 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
                                           81,236        68,988      89,831 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Non-current liabilities 
 Deferred tax liabilities                   3,324         3,380       3,381 
 Retirement benefit 
  obligations                    16         3,547         5,157       3,810 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
                                            6,871         8,537       7,191 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Total equity and 
  liabilities                             280,461       269,320     317,704 
---------------------------  ------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 

Consolidated statement of changes in shareholders' equity

30 September 2017

 
                                                           Cumulative                  Total 
                           Share      Share     Merger    translation   Treasury       other    Retained      Total 
                         capital    premium    reserve    adjustments     shares    reserves    earnings     equity 
                          GBP000     GBP000     GBP000         GBP000     GBP000      GBP000      GBP000     GBP000 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 At 1 April 
  2016                     2,274     27,288      3,921          2,528      (484)       5,965     165,471    200,998 
 Profit for 
  the period                   -          -          -              -          -           -       4,140      4,140 
 Other comprehensive 
  income                       -          -          -          5,457          -       5,457          43      5,500 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Total comprehensive 
  income                       -          -          -          5,457          -       5,457       4,183      9,640 
 Issue of share 
  capital                      1          -          -              -          -           -           -          1 
 Share-based 
  payments                     -          -          -              -          -           -         363        363 
 Tax arising 
  on share options             -          -          -              -          -           -          17         17 
 Investment 
  in own shares                -          -          -              -       (40)        (40)           -       (40) 
 Cost of employee 
  benefit trust 
  shares issued 
  to employees                 -          -          -              -        296         296       (296)          - 
 Equity dividends              -          -          -              -          -           -    (19,184)   (19,184) 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 At 30 September 
  2016                     2,275     27,288      3,921          7,985      (228)      11,678     150,554    191,795 
 Profit for 
  the period                   -          -          -              -          -           -      33,926     33,926 
 Other comprehensive 
  income                       -          -          -            812          -         812       1,732      2,544 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Total comprehensive 
  income                       -          -          -            812          -         812      35,658     36,470 
 Share-based 
  payments                     -          -          -              -          -           -         721        721 
 Tax arising 
  on share options             -          -          -              -          -           -          12         12 
 Investment 
  in own shares                -          -          -              -          -           -           -          - 
 Cost of employee 
  benefit trust 
  shares issued 
  to employees                 -          -          -              -          -           -           -          - 
 Transfers                     -          -          -            406          -         406       (406)          - 
 Equity dividends              -          -          -              -          -           -     (8,316)    (8,316) 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 At 31 March 
  2017                     2,275     27,288      3,921          9,203      (228)      12,896     178,223    220,682 
 (Loss)/profit 
  for the period               -          -          -              -          -           -    (12,734)   (12,734) 
 Other comprehensive 
  income                       -          -          -            244          -         244         846      1,090 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Total comprehensive 
  income/(loss)                -          -          -            244          -         244    (11,888)   (11,644) 
 Issue of share 
  capital                      1          -          -              -          -           -           -          1 
 Share-based 
  payments                     -          -          -              -          -           -         825        825 
 Tax arising 
  on share options             -          -          -              -          -           -          81         81 
 Investment 
  in own shares                -          -          -              -      (323)       (323)           -      (323) 
 Cost of employee 
  benefit trust 
  share issued 
  to employees                 -          -          -              -        124         124       (124)          - 
 Equity dividends              -          -          -              -          -           -    (17,268)   (17,268) 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 At 30 September 
  2017                     2,276     27,288      3,921          9,447      (427)      12,941     149,849    192,354 
---------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------  --------- 
 

Consolidated cash flow statement

for the six months ended 30 September 2017

 
                                                                        Year 
                                           Six months ended            ended 
                                             30 September           31 March 
                                      -------------------------- 
                                              2017          2016        2017 
                                            GBP000        GBP000      GBP000 
                                       (unaudited)   (unaudited)   (audited) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Cash flows from operating 
  activities 
 (Loss)/profit for the period             (12,734)         4,140      38,066 
 Income tax                                    335         1,319       8,834 
 Net finance revenue                         (199)         (335)       (381) 
 Other income (indemnified 
  receivable)                                    -             -     (1,753) 
 Amortisation of intangible 
  assets                                     3,064         2,980       6,160 
 Depreciation of property, 
  plant and equipment                        1,272         1,234       2,487 
 (Profit)/loss on disposal 
  of property, plant and equipment            (29)          (33)        (27) 
 Share-based payments                          825           363       1,084 
 Difference between pension 
  contributions paid and amounts 
  charged to operating profit                (885)         (303)     (1,139) 
 Research & Development expenditure 
  tax credit                                 (600)         (600)     (1,750) 
 Changes in working capital: 
 Trade and other receivables                41,304        45,795       2,567 
 Trade and other payables                  (6,476)      (18,472)       3,711 
 Changes to fair value of 
  forward foreign exchange 
  contracts                                  (540)           355       (669) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Cash generated from operating 
  activities before tax                     25,337        36,443      57,190 
 Income taxes paid                         (2,972)       (3,118)     (9,332) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Net cash generated from operating 
  activities                                22,365        33,325      47,858 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Cash flows from investing 
  activities 
 Purchase of property, plant 
  and equipment                            (1,038)         (945)     (2,419) 
 Purchase of intangibles                      (23)         (546)     (2,252) 
 Refund of consideration for 
  prior year business combination                -             -       1,753 
 Proceeds from disposal of 
  property, plant and equipment                 39           101         194 
 Interest received                             313           405         777 
 Redemption/(purchase) of 
  treasury deposits (net)                       62      (16,114)     (2,170) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Net cash used in investing 
  activities                                 (647)      (17,099)     (4,117) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Cash flows from financing 
  activities 
 Interest paid                                (29)          (24)        (58) 
 Purchase of own shares                      (323)          (40)        (40) 
 Proceeds from the issue of 
  shares                                         1             1           1 
 Dividends paid to equity 
  holders of the parent                   (17,268)      (19,184)    (27,500) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Net cash used in financing 
  activities                              (17,619)      (19,247)    (27,597) 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Net increase/(decrease) in 
  cash and cash equivalents                  4,099       (3,021)      16,144 
 Net foreign exchange difference           (2,028)         3,424       4,707 
 Opening cash and cash equivalents          85,462        64,611      64,611 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 Closing cash and cash equivalents          87,533        65,014      85,462 
------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ---------- 
 

Notes to the Interim Report

1 The Interim Report

The Interim Report was approved by the Board on 14 November 2017. The interim condensed financial statements set out in the Interim Report is unaudited but has been reviewed by the auditor, Ernst & Young LLP, and their report to the Company is set out above.

The Interim Report will be made available to shareholders in due course from the Company's website at www.aveva.com.

2 Basis of preparation and accounting policies

The Interim Report for the six months ended 30 September 2017 has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting and the disclosure requirements of the Listing Rules.

The Interim Report does not include all the information and disclosures required in the Annual Report and should be read in conjunction with the Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2017.

The financial information set out within this report does not constitute AVEVA's Consolidated statutory financial statements as defined in Section 435 of the Companies Act 2006. The results for the year ended 31 March 2017 have been extracted from the Consolidated statutory financial statements for AVEVA Group plc for the year ended 31 March 2017 which are prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union, on which the auditor gave an unqualified report (which made no statement under Section 498 (2) or (3) respectively of the Companies Act 2006 and did not draw attention to any matters by way of emphasis) and have been filed with the Registrar of Companies.

The Interim Report has been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out in the most recently published Annual Report of the Group for the year ended 31 March 2017.

The Group presents a non-GAAP performance measure on the face of the Consolidated income statement. The Directors believe that this alternative measure of profit provides a reliable and consistent measure of the Group's underlying performance. The face of the Consolidated income statement presents adjusted profit before tax and reconciles this to profit before tax as required to be presented under the applicable accounting standards. Adjusted earnings per share is calculated having adjusted profit after tax for the same items and their tax effect. The term adjusted profit is not defined under IFRS and may not be comparable with similarly titled profit measures reported by other companies. It is not intended to be a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP measures of profit.

The business is managed and measured on a day-to-day basis using adjusted results. To arrive at adjusted results, certain adjustments are made for normalised and exceptional items that are individually important and which could, if included, distort the understanding of the performance for the year and the comparability between periods.

IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

IFRS 15 must be applied for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. It is endorsed by the EU (except for the Clarifications to IFRS 15 issued by the IASB in April 2016). The Company plans to adopt IFRS 15 in its consolidated financial statements for the year ending 31 March 2019, using the full retrospective approach.

The Company is still evaluating the impact as noted in the 2017 Annual Report.

3 Going concern

The Group has significant financial resources and although returning a loss for the period, this was only resulting from the one-off exceptional costs of GBP20.0 million, and expects to make a profit for the full year. At 30 September 2017, the Group had bank, cash and treasury deposits of GBP133.0 million (31 March 2017 - GBP130.9 million) and no debt.

After making enquiries and considering the cash flow forecasts for the Group, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue its operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the interim financial statements.

The Group has announced its intention to return GBP100 million of its cash to shareholders upon completion of the proposed combination with certain software assets from Schneider Electric, but is expected to continue to be profitable and cash generative and therefore this does not affect the going concern basis of preparation.

4 Risks and uncertainties

As with any organisation, there are a number of potential risks and uncertainties which could have a material impact on the Group's long-term performance.

The primary risk and uncertainty related to the Group's performance for the remainder of the year is the challenging macro-economic environment, which could have a material impact on the Group's performance over the remaining six months of the financial year and could cause actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results.

Following the decision of the UK referendum vote to leave the European Union in June 2016, there has been significant uncertainty and volatility in currency prices and the stock markets. Until negotiations over the timing, as well as political and legal issues are resolved, there is likely to be further uncertainty. The Risk Committee continues to meet regularly to assess this and the other principal risks listed below. The Group has a strong cash balance with no debt and continues to show robust cash generation, and is therefore not adversely affected by short-term fluctuations in interest rates. Due to the geographic diversity and strength of the balance sheet, the Group does not consider Brexit to be of material concern to the operations nor going concern of AVEVA Group plc.

The other principal risks and uncertainties faced by the Group have not changed from those set out in the Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2017. These include:

   --      dependency on key markets; 
   --      competition; 
   --      professional services; 
   --      acquisitions; 
   --      recruitment and retention of employees; 
   --      protection of intellectual property rights; 
   --      Research & Development; 
   --      risks associated with widespread international operations; and 
   --      foreign exchange risk. 

These risks are described in more detail on pages 30 and 31 of the 2017 Annual Report. The Directors routinely monitor all of these risks and uncertainties and appropriate actions are taken where possible to mitigate these risks. Included in the Business Review is a commentary on the outlook of the Group for the remaining six months of the year.

5 Revenue

An analysis of the Group's revenue is as follows:

 
                                Six months ended        Year ended 
                                  30 September            31 March 
                           -------------------------- 
                                   2017          2016         2017 
                                 GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                            (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Annual fees                     37,164        34,682       71,845 
 Rental licence fees             31,733        29,399       94,188 
-------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total recurring revenue         68,897        64,081      166,033 
 Initial licence fees            16,091        11,540       32,214 
 Training and services            8,929         8,631       17,584 
-------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total revenue                   93,917        84,252      215,831 
 Finance revenue                    313           405          777 
-------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
                                 94,230        84,657      216,608 
-------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

The operations of the Group are not subject to significant seasonality, but the timing of customer contract renewals can be significant to the phasing of revenue between six-month periods. Typically there are more renewals in the second half of any financial year.

Services consist of consultancy, implementation services and training fees.

6 Segment information

The Group is organised into three geographical segments: Asia Pacific; EMEA; and Americas. Each segment is determined by the location of the Group's operations and is organised and managed separately due to the differing local requirements in each market.

The Executive Board monitors the operating results of the Regions for the purposes of making decisions about performance assessment and resource allocation. Performance is evaluated based on regional contribution using the same accounting policies as adopted for the Group's financial statements. There is no inter-segment revenue. Balance sheet information is not included in the information provided to the Executive Board. Support functions such as head office departments are controlled and monitored centrally.

 
                                           Six months ended 30 September 
                                                  2017 (unaudited) 
                              ------------------------------------------------------ 
                                   Asia 
                                Pacific       EMEA   Americas   Corporate      Total 
                                 GBP000     GBP000     GBP000      GBP000     GBP000 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Revenue 
 Annual fees                     17,347     15,386      4,431           -     37,164 
 Initial fees                    11,436      3,554      1,101           -     16,091 
 Rental fees                      7,015     20,405      4,313           -     31,733 
 Training and services            2,130      5,106      1,693           -      8,929 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Regional revenue 
  total                          37,928     44,451     11,538           -     93,917 
 
 Cost of sales                  (1,374)    (4,272)    (1,116)           -    (6,762) 
 Selling and administration 
  expenses                     (12,380)   (16,867)    (7,946)    (24,921)   (62,114) 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Regional contribution           24,174     23,312      2,476    (24,921)     25,041 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Research & Development 
  costs                                                                     (14,953) 
 Profit from operations                                                       10,088 
 Net finance expense                                                             199 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Adjusted profit before 
  tax                                                                         10,287 
 Exceptional items 
  and other normalised 
  adjustments                                                               (22,686) 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Profit/(loss) before 
  tax                                                                       (12,399) 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 
 
                                           Six months ended 30 September 
                                                  2016 (unaudited) 
                              ------------------------------------------------------ 
                                   Asia 
                                Pacific       EMEA   Americas   Corporate      Total 
                                 GBP000     GBP000     GBP000      GBP000     GBP000 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Revenue 
 Annual fees                     15,574     15,144      3,964           -     34,682 
 Initial fees                     5,584      3,028      2,928           -     11,540 
 Rental fees                      5,879     19,525      3,995           -     29,399 
 Training and services            2,649      4,353      1,629           -      8,631 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Regional revenue 
  total                          29,686     42,050     12,516           -     84,252 
 
 Cost of sales                  (1,466)    (4,245)      (984)           -    (6,695) 
 Selling and administration 
  expenses                     (12,285)   (16,111)    (9,106)    (18,069)   (55,571) 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Regional contribution           15,935     21,694      2,426    (18,069)     21,986 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Research & Development 
  costs                                                                     (13,231) 
 Profit from operations                                                        8,755 
 Net finance revenue                                                             335 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Adjusted profit before 
  tax                                                                          9,090 
 Exceptional items 
  and other normalised 
  adjustments                                                                (3,631) 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Profit before tax                                                             5,459 
----------------------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 
 
                                           Year ended 31 March 2017 (audited) 
                              ----------------------------------------------------------- 
                               Asia Pacific       EMEA   Americas   Corporate       Total 
                                     GBP000     GBP000     GBP000      GBP000      GBP000 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Revenue 
 Annual fees                         32,996     30,453      8,396           -      71,845 
 Initial fees                        18,688      8,600      4,926           -      32,214 
 Rental fees                         19,693     57,907     16,588           -      94,188 
 Training and services                4,913      9,719      2,952           -      17,584 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Regional revenue 
  total                              76,290    106,679     32,862           -     215,831 
 
 Cost of sales                      (3,314)    (8,968)    (1,951)           -    (14,233) 
 Selling and administration 
  expenses                         (26,938)   (33,345)   (18,593)    (40,925)   (119,801) 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Regional contribution               46,038     64,366     12,318    (40,925)      81,797 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Research & Development 
  costs                                                                          (27,174) 
 Profit from operations                                                            54,623 
 Net finance revenue                                                                  381 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Adjusted profit before 
  tax                                                                              55,004 
 Exceptional items 
  and other normalised 
  adjustments                                                                     (8,104) 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 Profit before tax                                                                 46,900 
----------------------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ----------  ---------- 
 

7 Selling and administration expenses

An analysis of selling and administration expenses is set out below:

 
                                 Six months ended        Year ended 
                                   30 September            31 March 
                            -------------------------- 
                                    2017          2016         2017 
                                  GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                             (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
--------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Selling and distribution 
  expenses                        43,860        44,031       93,023 
 Administrative expenses          38,832        14,638       31,925 
                                  82,692        58,669      124,948 
--------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

8 Exceptional items

 
                                     Six months ended        Year ended 
                                       30 September            31 March 
                                -------------------------- 
                                        2017          2016         2017 
                                      GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                 (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Acquisition activities               19,952             -            - 
 Restructuring costs                       -         2,013        4,152 
 Indemnified receivable 
  claim for previous business 
  combination                              -       (1,753)      (1,753) 
 Movement in provision for 
  sales taxes in an overseas 
  location                             (465)         (150)        (516) 
                                      19,487           110        1,883 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

During the period, the Group incurred acquisition costs of GBP20.0 million relating to fees paid to professional advisers primarily for legal and financial due diligence advice concerning the proposed acquisition of certain software assets from Schneider Electric.

In the prior year, the Group received an exceptional credit of GBP1.8 million as a result of a partial refund of the acquisition consideration paid to 8over8 Limited shareholders, with no movement in the current period. This year the Group benefited from a partial reversal of a provision for sales taxes in an overseas location of GBP0.5 million (2016 - GBP0.1 million). The Group has provided for a potential underpaid sales tax liability in respect of prior periods, related to the local

sales of one of the Group's subsidiary companies. The provision includes an estimate of the underpaid tax as well as related interest for late payment.

The tax credit on the exceptional items of GBP19.5 million is GBP1.4 million, with a large proportion of the exceptional costs not expected to be deductible for tax purposes.

9 Income tax expense

The total tax charge for the half year of GBP0.3 million (2016 - GBP1.3 million charge) is made up of a UK tax credit of GBP0.8 million (2016 - GBP0.1 million charge) and an overseas tax charge of GBP1.1 million (2016 - GBP1.2 million charge).

The effective tax rate on the loss before tax for the half year is -2.7%. The difference from the UK tax rate of 19% is mainly due to exceptional items which are not deductible for tax, and also higher overseas tax rates.

The tax charge on adjusted profit before tax for the half year ended 30 September 2017 is GBP2.4 million which equates to an effective tax rate of 23.2% (half year ended 30 September 2016 - 30.0%).

The differences between the total tax expense and the amount calculated by applying the standard rate of UK corporation tax to the profit/(loss) before tax are as follows:

 
                                    Six months ended        Year ended 
                                      30 September            31 March 
                               -------------------------- 
                                       2017          2016         2017 
                                     GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Tax on Group profit/(loss) 
  before tax at standard 
  UK corporation tax rate 
  of 19% (March 2017 - 20%, 
  September 2016 - 20%)             (2,356)         1,092        9,380 
 Effects of: 
 - acquisition activities 
  (see note 8)                        2,259             -      (1,200) 
 - movement on unprovided 
  deferred tax balances                 226           444        1,026 
 - differing tax rates                  209          (95)         (72) 
 - other movements                      (3)         (122)        (300) 
 Income tax expense reported 
  in Consolidated income 
  statement                             335         1,319        8,834 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

The tax credit on exceptional items (see note 8) is GBP1.4m (March 2017 - GBP2.0m credit, September 2016 - GBP0.6m credit).

10 Ordinary dividends

At or around completion of the planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business, GBP550 million of cash contributed by Schneider Electric and GBP100 million of excess cash on AVEVA's balance sheet will be distributed to existing AVEVA shareholders. Together this represents approximately GBP10.14 per AVEVA share. In this context, as previously announced, the Board is not declaring an interim dividend in relation to the half year.

An analysis of dividends paid is set out below:

 
                                   Six months ended        Year ended 
                                     30 September            31 March 
                              -------------------------- 
                                      2017          2016         2017 
                                    GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                               (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Final 2016/17 paid at 27.0 
  pence per share                   17,268             -            - 
 Interim 2016/17 paid at 
  13.0 pence per share                   -             -        8,316 
 Final 2015/16 paid at 30.0 
  pence per share                        -        19,184       19,184 
                                    17,268        19,184       27,500 
----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

11 Earnings per share

 
                                     Six months ended        Year ended 
                                       30 September            31 March 
                                -------------------------- 
                                        2017          2016         2017 
                                       pence         pence        pence 
                                 (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/earnings per share 
  for the period: 
 - basic                             (19.91)          6.47        59.52 
 - diluted                           (19.91)          6.46        59.36 
 Adjusted earnings per share: 
 - basic                               12.35          9.94        66.98 
 - diluted                             12.31          9.92        66.81 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

The calculation of earnings per share is based on the loss after tax for the six months ended 30 September 2017 of GBP12,734,000 and the following weighted average number of shares:

 
                                     Six months ended        Year ended 
                                       30 September            31 March 
                                -------------------------- 
                                        2017          2016         2017 
                                      Number        Number       Number 
                                   of shares     of shares    of shares 
                                 (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Weighted average number 
  of ordinary shares for 
  basic earnings per share        63,965,996    63,946,210   63,959,162 
 Effect of dilution: employee 
  share options                      182,761       151,170      163,002 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Weighted average number 
  of ordinary shares adjusted 
  for the effect of dilution      64,148,757    64,097,380   64,122,164 
------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Details of the calculation of adjusted earnings per share are set out below:

 
                                       Six months ended        Year ended 
                                         30 September            31 March 
                                  -------------------------- 
                                          2017          2016         2017 
                                        GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                   (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
--------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 (Loss)/profit after tax 
  for the period                      (12,734)         4,140       38,066 
 Intangible amortisation 
  (excluding other software)             2,914         2,803        5,806 
 Share-based payments                      825           363        1,084 
 (Gains)/losses on fair 
  value of forward foreign 
  exchange contracts                     (540)           355        (669) 
 Exceptional items                      19,487           110        1,883 
 Tax effect on exceptional 
  items                                (1,424)         (572)      (1,990) 
 Tax effect on other normalised 
  adjustments                            (631)         (839)      (1,343) 
--------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Adjusted profit after 
  tax                                    7,897         6,360       42,837 
--------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

12 Cash and cash equivalents and treasury deposits

 
                                        Six months ended        Year ended 
                                          30 September            31 March 
                                   -------------------------- 
                                           2017          2016         2017 
                                         GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                    (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Cash at bank and in hand                54,590        47,110       49,704 
 Short-term deposits                     32,943        17,904       35,758 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total cash and cash equivalents         87,533        65,014       85,462 
 Treasury deposits                       45,424        59,430       45,486 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Total cash and deposits                132,957       124,444      130,948 
---------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Treasury deposits represent bank deposits with an original maturity of greater than three months.

13 Trade and other receivables

Current

 
                              Six months ended        Year ended 
                                30 September            31 March 
                         -------------------------- 
                                 2017          2016         2017 
                               GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                          (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-----------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Trade receivables             42,845        39,224       85,041 
 Prepayments and other 
  receivables                   8,851         9,072        7,465 
 Accrued income                 1,489         2,217          773 
-----------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
                               53,185        50,513       93,279 
-----------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Non-current

 
                          Six months ended        Year ended 
                            30 September            31 March 
                     -------------------------- 
                             2017          2016         2017 
                           GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                      (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Other receivables          1,146         1,378        1,499 
-------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

Non-current other receivables consist of rental deposits for operating leases.

14 Trade and other payables

 
                                    Six months ended        Year ended 
                                      30 September            31 March 
                               -------------------------- 
                                       2017          2016         2017 
                                     GBP000        GBP000       GBP000 
                                (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 Trade payables                      11,157         3,780        5,835 
 Social security, employee 
  and sales taxes                     9,345        10,438       14,699 
 Accruals and other payables         25,817        14,203       21,994 
 Deferred consideration                   -           467          348 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
                                     46,319        28,888       42,876 
-----------------------------  ------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

15 Financial instruments

Financial instruments which are recognised at fair value subsequent to initial recognition are grouped into Levels 1 to 3 based on the degree to which the fair value is observable. The three levels are defined as follows:

-- Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

-- Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and

-- Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

The Group's financial assets include forward foreign exchange contracts which were measured at Level 2 fair value subsequent to initial recognition and were calculated as the present value of the estimated cash flows based on spot and forward exchange rates. There were no transfers between levels during the periods disclosed. At 30 September 2017, the fair value of the financial asset in respect of foreign exchange contracts was GBP345,000 (31 March 2017 - liability of GBP196,000 and at 30 September 2016 - liability of GBP1,219,000).

16 Retirement benefit obligations

The movement on the provision for retirement benefit obligations during the period was as follows:

 
                                            German        South 
                             UK defined    defined       Korean 
                                benefit    benefit    severance 
                                 scheme    schemes          pay     Total 
                                 GBP000     GBP000       GBP000    GBP000 
 At 1 April 2016                  2,271      1,393        1,498     5,162 
 Current service cost                 -          -          136       136 
 Net interest on pension 
  scheme liabilities                 33         14            -        47 
 Actuarial remeasurements         (258)        148            -     (110) 
 Employer contributions           (700)        343         (82)     (439) 
 Exchange adjustment                  -        160          201       361 
--------------------------  -----------  ---------  -----------  -------- 
 At 30 September 2016             1,346      2,058        1,753     5,157 
 Current service cost                 -          -           91        91 
 Net interest on pension 
  scheme liabilities                241         14           36       291 
 Actuarial remeasurements       (1,929)      (121)         (10)   (2,060) 
 Employer contributions           (880)       (29)         (18)     (927) 
 Exchange adjustment                  -       (38)           74        36 
--------------------------  -----------  ---------  -----------  -------- 
 At 31 March 2017               (1,222)      1,884        1,926     2,588 
 Current service cost                 -          -          145       145 
 Net interest on pension 
  scheme liabilities                 70         15            -        85 
 Actuarial remeasurements       (1,029)          8            -   (1,021) 
 Employer contributions           (700)       (41)        (289)   (1,030) 
 Exchange adjustment                  -         58        (159)     (101) 
--------------------------  -----------  ---------  -----------  -------- 
 At 30 September 2017           (2,881)      1,924        1,623       666 
--------------------------  -----------  ---------  -----------  -------- 
 

The discount rate used to value the liabilities of the UK defined benefit pension scheme at 30 September was 2.7% (March 2017 - 2.5%, September 2016 - 2.3%).

17 Related party transactions

Transactions between Group subsidiaries have been eliminated on consolidation. A list of subsidiaries can be found in the notes to the AVEVA Group plc financial statements in the 2017 Annual Report.

18 Significant events during the period

Planned combination with the Schneider Electric Software Business

On 5 September 2017, AVEVA and Schneider Electric announced an agreement to combine AVEVA and the Schneider Electric Software Business to create a global leader in engineering and industrial software. This proposed combination received shareholder approval on 29 September 2017 and preparation for completion is on track with closure expected to be at or around the end of 2017. A further update on progress and timing will be provided in due course.

At or around completion of the combination, GBP550 million of cash contributed by Schneider Electric and GBP100 million of excess cash on AVEVA's balance sheet will be distributed to existing AVEVA shareholders, as described in note 3. Together this represents approximately 1,014 pence per AVEVA share. In this context, as previously announced, AVEVA will not pay an interim dividend for the half year, as declared in note 10.

Responsibility statement of the Directors

in respect of the Interim Report

The Directors of the Company confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

   --        the Interim Report has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34; 

-- the Interim Report includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.7R, being an indication of the important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the year; and

-- the Interim Report includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.8R, being disclosure of related party transactions and changes therein since the last Annual Report.

By order of the board

 
 James Kidd           David Ward 
  Chief Executive      Chief Financial 
  Officer              Officer 
 
   14 November 2017 
 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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