REG - Crest Nicholson Hdgs - Trading Statement

Crest Nicholson HoldingsAnnouncement

18/11/2021 07:00

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RNS Number : 7485S  Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC  18 November 2021

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of
the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of domestic law
by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

Crest Nicholson Holdings plc

(the "Group" or "Crest Nicholson")

 

FY21 PROFIT TO BE MARGINALLY AHEAD OF CONSENSUS(1)

STRONG SALES PERFORMANCE IN H2

TRANSFORMED BALANCE SHEET TO SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH

Crest Nicholson today provides an update on trading for the 12-month period
ending 31 October 2021.

Financial highlights

 ·             FY21 Adjusted Profit Before Tax expected to be marginally ahead of consensus
               of £101.2m(1) with the Longcross Film Studio contribution being more than
               anticipated
 ·             Strong sales performance throughout the second half of the year with current
               sales rates remaining robust across all regions
 ·             Forward sales as at 12 November 2021 were 2,502 units and £623.9m Gross
               Development Value (GDV) (13 November 2020: 2,330 units and £496.6m GDV), with
               good visibility of sales pipeline for FY22
 ·             Continued expansion of operating margins in line with guidance as the Group
               makes strong progress depleting poorer legacy sites and maintains discipline
               on overheads
 ·             Excellent cash generation throughout FY21, ensuring the Group ran on a
               net-cash basis throughout the year
 ·             The Group remained active in the land market in FY21: 4,332 plots have been
               approved for purchase at a gross margin of 26.7% (after S&M)

 1 Consensus as published on 17 November 2021 at
 https://www.crestnicholson.com/investors/consensus-estimates

 

First stage of turnaround now complete and plans to grow underway

 

 ·             Successful roll out of new house types with over 6,000 units now planned,
               which represents 74% of open market housing held in the short-term land
               portfolio
 ·             Operational efficiency programme, coupled with house price inflation,
               continues to insulate the Group against supply chain disruption and build cost
               inflation
 ·             At our Capital Markets Day on 20 October 2021, the Group presented a growth
               strategy which will see it expand into three new UK geographies by 2026
 ·             The Group is initiating its plan to establish divisions in Yorkshire and East
               Anglia from 2022
 ·             Medium term targets set to illustrate progress on growth strategy. A two-phase
               plan:
               -                                         Phase one: gross margin rate accretion and volume growth from existing
                                                         divisions (FY22-FY24)
               -                                         Phase two: volume growth from the three new divisions (FY24-FY26)

 

 Medium term targets         FY24                FY26
 Home completions (units)    In excess of 3,000  In excess of 4,200
 Divisions                   5+                  8
 Operating profit margins    18-20%
 Return on capital employed  22-25%
 Land Creditors              Less than 30%

 (% of Net Assets)
 Dividend Policy             2.5x

 (cover)

 

Good progress against our existing sustainability targets and further ambition
to come

 

 ·             Existing medium targets to 2025 progressing well in FY21
               -                              Carbon emission reduction target: 25%
               -                              Renewable electricity target:100%
               -                              Waste reduction target: 15%
 ·             New targets announced at recent Capital Markets Day
               -                              Signatory to the United Nation's Race to Zero campaign
               -                              Developing ambitious interim science-based targets, validated by the Science
                                              Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
               -                              Achieving net zero emissions across our value chain by 2050 at the latest

 

Progress against existing sustainability targets will be provided in our FY21
preliminary results and further detail will be given on our new sustainability
targets in the first half of FY22.

Commenting on today's announcement, Peter Truscott, Chief Executive said:

'The Group has performed strongly in the second half of the year with our full
year underlying profit before tax marginally ahead of our expectations.

While the trading environment remains robust, it has been a challenging
operational environment for our sector as we have emerged from the pandemic,
with disruption to supply chains and the availability of materials. I am
delighted that our teams have remained focused on implementing our strategy
and have managed to successfully navigate our way through these issues.

At our recent Capital Markets Day, the leadership team outlined how the first
part of our turnaround strategy is complete and presented an exciting vision
for the future. The Group now has the necessary resources and capabilities to
grow its footprint in the UK and we see this as the best way to maximise
shareholder value over the medium term. We look forward to communicating more
detail on this as we progress with the implementation of our plans.'

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Crest Nicholson

Jenny Matthews, Head of Investor Relations
                              +44 (0) 7557 842720

 

Tulchan Communications
 
+44 (0) 20 7353 4200

James Macey White

Giles Kernick

 

The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on
behalf of the Company is Kevin Maguire, General Counsel and Company Secretary.

 

18 November 2021

 

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