TOP NEWS: Rolls-Royce to restore dividend as transformation speeds up

(Alliance News) - Shares in Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC soared on Thursday after it raised guidance ...

Alliance News 1 August, 2024 | 8:39AM
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(Alliance News) - Shares in Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC soared on Thursday after it raised guidance and announced plans to pay a dividend for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief Executive Tufan Erginbilgic said: "Our transformation of Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient, and growing business is proceeding with pace and intensity. We are expanding the earnings and cash potential of the business in a challenging supply chain environment, which we are proactively managing. We are on track to deliver our mid-term targets."

Erginbilgic added: "These results and our increased financial resilience give us the confidence to raise our 2024 guidance and reinstate shareholder distributions in respect of the full year 2024 results."

In response, shares in the jet engine maker leapt 8.9% to 489.80 pence in London on Thursday. It was the best performing stock in the FTSE 100 index, which was little changed.

In the first half of 2024, Rolls-Royce said pretax profit was flat at GBP1.42 billion compared with a year prior. Operating profit more than doubled, however, to GBP1.65 billion from GBP797 million, as operating margin rose to 18.6% from 10.6% a year before. On an underlying basis, operating margin improved to 14.0% from 9.7%.

Revenue climbed to 18% GBP8.86 billion from GBP7.52 billion. Basic earnings per share fell to 13.71 pence from 14.70p on a statutory basis, but rose to 8.95p from 4.90p on an underlying measure.

Free cash flow improved to GBP1.16 billion from GBP356 million and the return on capital rose to 13.8% from 9.0%. Net debt fell to GBP822 million from GBP1.95 billion at December 31.

As hoped by many investors, Rolls-Royce confirmed shareholder distributions will be reinstated with 2024 full-year results. The firm intends to pay out 30% of underlying pretax profit for 2024 and a 30% to 40% ratio thereafter.

The last time the company paid dividends was before the pandemic in January 2020.

Reflecting the strong first half, Rolls-Royce increased its guidance for 2024 underlying pretax profit to GBP2.1 billion to GBP2.3 billion from GBP1.7 billion to GBP2.0 billion before. Underlying pretax profit was GBP1.26 billion in 2023.

The firm expects 2024 free cash flow of GBP2.1 to GBP2.2 billion, up from a GBP1.7 to GBP1.9 billion view previously. This was GBP1.29 billion in 2023.

Rolls-Royce said the first half showed "significantly higher operating profit and margins in a challenging supply chain environment".

The largest improvement was in Civil Aerospace, which delivered an operating margin of 18.0%, rising from 12.4% a year ago. This was driven by higher after-market profit from large engine long term service agreements and time and materials, stronger performance in business aviation in both original equipment and after-market, and net contractual margin improvements.

Defence delivered an underlying operating margin of 15.5%, up from 13.6%, driven by higher after-market profit in Combat and Transport.

Submarines growth was also strong in the period, the firm said. Power Systems reported an operating margin of 10.3%, up from 7.0%, driven by pricing actions, particularly in Power Generation.

"Across all divisions, our cost efficiency actions have helped to mitigate the impact of inflation," Rolls-Royce added.

Total underlying cash costs as a proportion of underlying gross margin improved to 0.49 times from 0.64 times.

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 497.90 GBX 10.74

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