REG - Knights Group Hldgs - Trading Update

Knights groupAnnouncement

22/11/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 1251H  Knights Group Holdings PLC  22 November 2022

22 November 2022

Knights Group Holdings plc

("Knights", the "Company" or the "Group")

Trading Update for the Six Months Ended 31 October 2022

Performance on track to deliver in line with expectations for the full year

Knights, a fast-growing legal and professional services business in the UK,
today provides a trading update for the half year ended 31 October 2022.
Highlights include:

·    Revenue up by 18% to c.£71m (H1 22: £60m)

·    Underlying Profit Before Tax (PBT) of c.£9.0m, up 18% (H1 22:
£7.6m), with margin maintained at 12.6% (H1 22: 12.6%)

·    Continued focus by management on lock up, resulting in net debt(2) of
c.£35.6m (FY 22: £28.9m) after paying c.£7m of acquisition consideration
and related costs in the half year.

The Group's first half performance is in line with the Board's expectations.

We have continued to selectively recruit high quality talent, many of whom
have been attracted from other top 50 or leading independent law firms, by
Knights' differentiated business model and collaborative culture.

Prior year acquisitions, Keebles, Archers Law and Langleys, have integrated
and are performing well with the previously announced sale of the non-core HPL
part of Langleys having completed in September 2022.

During the first half, the Group completed the acquisition of Coffin Mew, a
leading independent law firm in the South of England, adding four offices and
significantly expanding the Group's presence in the region, an attractive
growth market for legal and professional services.

Lock-up of 103 days at 31 October (October 2021: 99 days) reflects the Group's
continued discipline of day-to-day cash collection.  This resulted in net
debt(2) of c.£35.6m, after paying c.£7m of acquisition consideration and
related costs. As at 31 October 2022 there was significant headroom of £24.4m
against the Group's Revolving Credit Facility of £60m.

 David Beech, CEO of Knights, commented:

"We have continued to successfully execute our strategy, delivering
profitable, cash generative growth.

"As we enter the second half, we are encouraged by the Group's strong
performance, as we continue to attract high quality talent and potential
acquisitions to the Group."

Knights will provide a further update on trading with its half year results
announcement in mid January 2023.

Ends

 

Notes

(1) Lock up excludes the impact of acquisitions in the last quarter of the
reporting period, along with clinical negligence, insolvency, highways and
ground rent WIP which operate mainly on a conditional fee arrangement (as in
prior periods).

(2) Excluding lease liabilities

 

Enquiries

 Knights
 David Beech, CEO                               Via MHP

 Numis (Nomad and Broker)
 Stuart Skinner, Kevin Cruickshank              020 7260 1000

 MHP (Media enquiries)
 Katie Hunt, Eleni Menikou, Rob Collett-Creedy  020 3128 8100

+44 (0)7736 464749

knights@mhpgroup.com

 

Notes to Editors

Knights is a fast-growing, legal and professional services business, ranked
within the UK's top 50 largest law firms by revenue. Knights was one of the
first law firms in the UK to move from the traditional partnership model to a
corporate structure in 2012 and has since grown rapidly. Knights has
specialists in all key areas of corporate and commercial law so that it can
offer end-to-end support to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. It is
focussed on key UK markets outside London and currently operates from 22
offices located in Birmingham, Brighton, Cheltenham, Chester, Crawley, Exeter,
Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Maidstone, Manchester, Newbury, Nottingham, Oxford,
Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Teesside, Weybridge, Wilmslow and
York.

 

 

 

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