REG - Orchard Funding Grp - Half-year Report
06/04/2023 07:00
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RNS Number : 5590V Orchard Funding Group PLC 06 April 2023
Orchard Funding Group PLC
("Orchard Funding Group" or the "company" or the "group")
Half Year Results
For the six months ended 31 January 2023
Orchard Funding Group, the finance group which specialises in insurance
premium finance and the professions funding market, is pleased to announce its
unaudited results for the six months ended 31 January 2023.
Highlights - in the six months to 31 January 2023, compared to the six months
to 31 January 2022:
All amounts are £m unless otherwise stated 6 months to 31 January 2023 6 months to 31 January 2022 % increase/ (decrease)
Lending volume 46.39 38.15 21.58%
Average interest earning assets 46.53 33.45 39.10%
Total revenue 3.76 2.90 29.66%
Net interest income 2.46 2.14 14.95%
Profit before tax 1.25 1.00 25.00%
Profit after tax 1.01 0.81 24.69%
EPS (pence)(1) 4.71 3.78 24.59%
Operating costs (including impairment provisions) 1.66 1.33 24.81%
Average external funding 11.86 9.94 19.32%
Cost of external funds 0.53 0.16 231.25%
Cost of funds/funds ratio 5.58% 4.69% 19.04%
Own resources (net current financial assets) 15.58 14.29 9.03%
In March 2022 the group issued a retail bond, raising £3.90m less issue costs
of £0.21m. In addition, the group has borrowing facilities of £25.00m of
which £16.42m was in use at the period end.
The board is again recommending an interim dividend of 1 pence per share (31
January 2022: 1 pence).
More detail on the financial highlights is given in the CFO's summary.
Ravi Takhar, Chief Executive Officer of the company, stated:
"We have started the first half of the year positively and ahead of our
original projections. Whilst our income continues to grow as a result of
increased lending, our costs of borrowing are increasing significantly as a
result of bank base rate increases. Our culture continues to be cautious,
prudent and long term and this enables us to manage the difficult economic and
political times we are facing. We continue to support all our stakeholders, in
particular our staff, bankers and shareholders by providing fair and
consistent returns for their investment. We look forward to the next six
months cautiously and with some optimism based on our good start to the
financial year."
For further information, please contact:
Orchard Funding Group PLC
+44 (0)1582 346
248
Ravi Takhar, Chief Executive Officer
Liberum (Nomad and Broker)
+44
(0)20 3100 3222
Investment banking
Lauren Kettle
For Investor Relations please go to: www.orchardfundinggroupplc.com
(http://www.orchardfundinggroupplc.com)
Chairman's statement
I am very pleased to note that we have continued the positive trend in
financial performance with all the key metrics showing an improvement on the
equivalent period last year whilst we continue to deliver for all of our
stakeholders, in particular, our customers, colleagues and shareholders. The
drivers of this growth continue to be our core insurance premium funding
market.
The economic outlook is showing some signs of improvement. The impact of the
autumn 'mini budget' has softened and confidence has improved following
indications that the risk of a recession is easing and inflation is expected
to reduce over the year. Against this backdrop, our margins will remain
under pressure, however we remain cautiously optimistic, and ready to support
our customers and partners through any difficulties as far as possible.
Steven Hicks
Chairman
Chief Financial Officer's summary
Since my report last year, markets appear to have accounted for the pressures
which arose from the invasion of Ukraine. We, have, however seen 11
consecutive increases in interest rates from the beginning of December 2021 up
to the end of March 2023, arising from the Bank of England's ("BOE") need to
control inflation. We are led to believe, from the BOE and the Government,
that inflation should fall to below 3.00% by the end of the year.
Our own results in the six months to 31 January 2023 reflect the interest rate
rise, with our gross and net interest margins slightly lower compared to the
equivalent six months in the previous year. Both gross interest income and
other income are higher (27.54% and 38.89% respectively), than the six months
to 31 January 2022. Coupled with close control of costs, this has led to a
profit before tax of £1.25m for the period compared with £1.00m for the
equivalent half-year in 2022.
Our lending in most of the markets in which we operate has grown substantially
this period, on average at 20.29% on a like-for-like basis compared to the six
months to 31 January 2022. Against this, demand for professional fee funding
continues to fall as has site and school fees. This has not been unexpected as
we are using resources where they generate the best overall results.
Our operating cost base continues to be controlled although we have been
affected by inflation. Operating costs are up from £1.33m in the half-year to
31 January 2022 to £1.66m in the period to 31 January 2023 - a rise of
24.81%. This figure does include an expected credit loss provision and an
impairment provision for the investment in an associate. In the year to 31
January 2022, impairment provisions were not included in the performance
indicator of operating costs. It is felt that since these form part of
operating profit they should form part of operating costs.
Although we are no longer subject to the restrictions imposed during the
pandemic, our staff have continued to operate from a hybrid home working model
which is working well for them and our partners. Our systems have proved
effective in managing this home-working in a seamless manner without any loss
in efficiency.
We are in a strong financial position. At 31 January 2023 we had net current
financial assets of £15.58m (31 January 2022 £14.29m) and £8.58m of unused
borrowing facility (31 January 2022 £8.58m). Net current financial assets
consist of net current assets excluding prepayments. Together, these show a
strong capital, funding and liquidity position.
Impairment reviews are carried out at each reporting period on all financial
assets. The method employed for assets arising from lending is shown in the
audited accounts to 31 July 2022 and is based on expected credit losses
(ECLs). As part of this exercise we review debts to establish whether they
have moved from one ECL stage to another. There have been no material
movements from one stage to another in our interest earning assets during the
period. At 31 January 2023 the provision was £464k (31 January 2022 £493k).
Other assets (fixed assets and investments) are also subject to impairment
reviews. As part of this process the investment in Open B Gateway Limited has
been appraised and has been written down to £Nil.
An investment was made in Open B Gateway Limited in 2019 when 300 £1 ordinary
shares were acquired at par representing a 30% holding in that company. In
2021 a further investment of £75k was made to enable that company to develop
its Open Banking WebApp. In valuing these investments a valuation based on
Level 3 inputs had been applied. Level 3 inputs are defined as those which
are unobservable for an investment. In October 2022 the group's CEO, Ravi
Takhar, became a director of that company. The registered office was also
changed to that of Orchard Funding Group plc. As the group now exercises
significant influence, this investment has been treated as an associate since
October 2022. Ordinarily, the group would take the associate's share of
profits or losses from October and consolidate this with its own, adjusting
the cost of the investment accordingly. However, the latest accounts available
from that company dated 31 March 2022 show net assets of £1.45k and losses
for the accounting period ending on that date. The board is therefore of the
opinion that the value of the investment should be restated at £Nil.
Our principal risks, as shown in the full year financial statements to 31 July
2022, are credit risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, IT disruption risk
and conduct risk. Since the issue of the retail bond in March 2022, risks
associated with both its non-use and failure to repay are also included. A
full explanation of each of them together with their impact and mitigation are
detailed in those financial statements.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Our KPIs are set so that fluctuations outside a certain tolerance would
trigger an examination of our operations to establish why these fluctuations
have occurred and, if necessary, take any remedial action deemed necessary.
This half-year our KPIs have exceeded expectations.
Our KPIs are based on lending, the cost of lending and, to some extent,
operating costs. We try to ensure that risk is mitigated when lending but no
lending is risk free.
All our lending is managed on a similar basis, carry similar risks and rewards
and need to comply with similar regulations. They are therefore combined for
reporting purposes.
The table below gives a breakdown of group KPIs. There is also a table showing
those items not considered KPIs but which give a better understanding of the
figures.
Return on average equity is based on PAT divided by the average of equity at
the end of the previous reporting period and that of the current period. We
believe that this measure is seen as more useful than simply looking at equity
at the end of the period.
Average external funding is based on the amount borrowed for the exact number
of days for which the advance was made.
Key performance indicators
All amounts are £m unless otherwise stated 6 months to 31 January 2023 6 months to 31 January 2022 Year to 31 July 2022
Lending volume 46.39 38.15 79.96
Average interest earning assets(1) 46.53 33.45 36.81
Total revenue 3.76 2.90 6.19
Average external funding 11.86 9.94 15.77
Cost of external funds 0.53 0.16 0.55
Cost of funds/funds ratio 5.58% 4.69% 3.57%
Own resources (net current financial assets) 15.58 14.29 15.96
Operating costs (including impairment provisions)(2) 1.66 1.33 2.97
Return on average equity 11.64% 9.94% 9.36%
Financial summary - other performance indicators
All amounts are £m unless otherwise stated 6 months to 31 January 2023 6 months to 31 January 2022 Year to 31 July 2022
Net interest income 2.46 2.14 4.41
Net interest margin (%) 10.57% 12.80% 11.98%
Profit before tax 1.25 1.00 1.88
Profit after tax 1.01 0.81 1.52
EPS (pence)(3) 4.71 3.78 7.11
DPS (pence) 2.00 2.00 3.00
Return on capital employed 5.85% 7.16% 5.19%
1. Average interest earning assets consist of the average of the opening
and closing loan book after taking account of the impairment provision.
2. In the equivalent period of the previous year operating costs were
shown net of impairment provisions. These are now included as they form part
of costs to arrive at operating profit.
3. There are no factors which would dilute earnings therefore fully
diluted earnings per share are identical.
Lending volume, average interest earning assets and total revenue are all up
by between 20% and 40%. PBT, PAT and EPS are all up by in excess of 24%. The
increases in these areas were to be expected although the upturn in PBT has
been a mix of increased income and operating costs increasing at a lower
rate..
Operating costs have increased by 24.81% in total. Within these costs,
however, there are some increases in excess of that figure. Commission is a
function of turnover and marketing and commission costs have increased by
18.73% from £251k in the six months to 31 January 2022 to £298k in the six
months to 31 January 2023. Likewise, the provision for audit fees has
increased by 52.38%. Against this, depreciation and impairment losses on
financial assets have fallen by 43.75% and 81.40% respectively, the former
because many of the assets have been fully depreciated and the latter because
provision for older debts has already been made in the past and arrears are
under control. Impairment provisions are kept under regular review.
Cost of external funding has risen substantially when compared to the
equivalent six months in 2022. First, in the year to 31 July 2022 the group
made a retail bond issue. The price for this money was 6.25% plus expenses.
Secondly, there have been 11 base rate rises since the beginning of December
2021 with rates rising from 0.10% to 3.50% as at 31(st) January 2023 and
further increases to the current 4.25%.
The board is pleased to maintain the dividend at the same rates as this time
last year. Therefore it is declaring an interim dividend of 1 pence per share
to be paid on 23 June 2023 to shareholders on the register at 9 June 2023,
with an associated ex-dividend date of 8 June 2023.
In summary, the next six months will remain a challenge mainly because the
ongoing international issues, but the board feels that no further provisions
or estimates (based on our forecasts) are needed at this time.
Liam McShane
Chief Financial Officer
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
6 Months to
6 Months to 31 January 2022 Year to
31 January 2023 31 July 2022
Notes £000 £000 £000
Continuing operations
Interest receivable and similar income 2 3,011 2,355 5,003
Interest payable and similar charges (546) (219) (587)
Net interest income 2,465 2,136 4,416
Other trading income 2 752 536 1,187
Other direct costs (311) (343) (756)
Net other income 441 193 431
Net total income 2,906 2,329 4,847
Other operating costs (1,572) (1,245) (2,905)
Net impairment (losses)/gains on financial assets (16) (86) (63)
Impairment loss on investment in associate (75) - -
Operating profit 1,243 998 1,879
Interest receivable 4 - 1
Interest payable (1) (1) (2)
Profit before tax 1,246 997 1,878
Tax 4 (240) (190) (360)
Profit and total comprehensive income for the period from continuing 1,006 807 1,518
operations attributable to the owners of the parent
Earnings per share attributable to the owners of the parent during the period
(pence)
Basic and diluted 5 4.71 3.78 7.11
Consolidated statement of financial position
At 31 January 2023 At 31 January 2022 At 31 July 2022
£000 £000 £000
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment 16 15 13
Right of use assets 5 36 16
Intangible assets 12 - 7
Investment at fair value through profit and loss 6 81 81
Loans to customers 6,650 3,124 6,594
6,689 3,256 6,711
Current assets
Loans to customers 42,669 33,896 37,143
Other receivables and prepayments 199 268 189
Cash and cash equivalents:
Bank balances and cash in hand 1,997 3,188 4,796
44,865 37,352 42,128
Total assets 51,554 40,608 48,839
Liabilities and equity
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables 6,648 8,893 6,337
Borrowings 22,000 13,822 19,468
Tax payable 573 329 299
29,221 23,044 26,104
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings 5,076 1,382 6,057
Deferred tax 1 2 1
5,077 1,384 6,058
Total liabilities 34,298 24,428 32,162
Equity attributable to the owners of the parent
Called up share capital 214 214 214
Share premium 8,692 8,692 8,692
Merger reserve 891 891 891
Retained earnings 7,459 6,383 6,880
Total equity 17,256 16,180 16,677
Total equity and liabilities 51,554 40,608 48,839
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
Called up
Share Retained Share Merger Total
Capital earnings premium reserve Equity
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
Balance at 1 August 2021 214 6,003 8,692 891 15,800
Changes in equity
Profit and total comprehensive income - 807 - - 807
Transactions with owners:
Dividends paid - (427) - - (427)
Balance at 31 January 2022 214 6,383 8,692 891 16,180
Changes in equity
Profit and total comprehensive income - 711 - - 711
Transactions with owners:
Dividends paid - (214) - - (214)
Balance at 31 July 2022 214 6,880 8,692 891 16,677
Changes in equity
Profit and total comprehensive income - 1,006 - - 1,006
Transactions with owners:
Dividends paid - (427) - - (427)
Balance at 31 January 2023 214 7,459 8,692 891 17,256
The merger reserve arose through the formation of the group on 23 June 2015
using the consolidation method which treats the merged companies as if they
had been combined throughout the current and comparative accounting periods.
The accounting principles for these combinations gave rise to a merger reserve
in the consolidated statement of financial position, being the difference
between the nominal value of new shares issued by the company for the
acquisition of the shares of the subsidiaries and each subsidiary's own share
capital.
The share premium account arose on the issue of shares on the IPO on 1 July
2015 at a premium of 95p per share. Costs directly attributable to the issue
of shares have been deducted from the account.
Consolidated statement of cash flows
6 Months to
6 Months to 31 January 2022 Year to
31 January 2023 31 July 2022
£000 £000 £000
Cash flows from operating activities:
Operating profit 1,243 998 1,879
Adjustment for depreciation and amortisation 18 32 63
Impairment loss on investment in associate 75
1,336 1,030 1,942
Increase in trade and other receivables (5,592) (7,182) (13,820)
Increase in trade and other payables 310 4,711 2,155
(3,946) (1,441) (9,723)
Income tax paid 34 - (201)
Net cash absorbed by operating activities (3,912) (1,441) (9,924)
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest received 4 - 1
Purchases of property, plant and equipment (7) - (4)
Purchase of right of use assets (7) - (12)
Net cash absorbed by investing activities (10) - (15)
Cash flows from financing activities
Dividends paid (427) (427) (641)
Net proceeds from borrowings 1,565 2,901 13,236
Borrowings repaid - - -
Lease repayments (15) (15) (30)
Net cash generated/(absorbed) by financing activities 1,123 2,459 12,565
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (2,799) 1,018 2,626
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 4,796 2,170 2,170
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period 1,997 3,188 4,796
Cash and cash equivalents consists of bank balances.
Notes to the financial statements
1. General information
Orchard Funding Group PLC ("the company") and its subsidiaries (together "the
group") provide funding and funding support systems for insurance premiums,
professional and equivalent fees and other leisure activities. The group
operates in the United Kingdom.
The company is a public company listed on AIM, a market operated by the London
Stock Exchange, incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom. The address
of its registered office is 721 Capability Green, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3LU.
The condensed consolidated interim financial information for the six months
ended 31 January 2023 has been prepared in accordance with the presentation,
recognition and measurement requirements of applicable International
Accounting Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act
2006 ('IFRS') except that the group has not applied IAS 34, Interim Financial
Reporting, which is not mandatory for UK groups listed on AIM, in the
preparation of the condensed consolidated interim financial information.
The financial information does not include all of the information required for
full annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the
financial statements of the group for the year ended 31 July 2022 which are
prepared in accordance with IFRS.
The accounting policies used in the preparation of condensed consolidated
interim financial information for the six months ended 31 January 2023 are in
accordance with the presentation, recognition and measurement criteria of IFRS
and are consistent with those which are expected to be adopted in the annual
statutory financial statements for the year ending 31 July 2023. There are a
number of new standards, amendments and interpretations that have been issued
but are not effective for these financial statements. They are not expected to
impact the financial statements as either they are not relevant to the group's
activities or are consistent with accounting policies already followed by the
group.
Under the expected credit loss (ECL) model required in IFRS 9, there has been
a further £16k charged to consolidated income (31 January 2022 £86k). The
main focus of the assessment is debt arrears as, although based on past
performance, they are the best indicator of potential default. The increase is
not a large as would be commensurate with the increase in the loan book but a
lot of the potential bad debt had already been provided for, arrears are under
control and there are no other factors which would indicate potential credit
losses. In assessing potential provisions, the group has adopted the
simplified approach which requires the entity to recognise a loss allowance
based on lifetime ECLs at each reporting date, right from origination. Part of
this process has been to examine the impact of ongoing international
situation.
The group's 2022 annual report provides full details of significant judgements
and estimates used in the application of the group's accounting policies.
There have been no significant changes to these judgements and estimates
during the period.
The financial information included in this document is unaudited and does not
comprise statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434 of the Companies
Act 2006. The comparative figures for the financial year ended 31 July 2022
are the group's statutory accounts for that financial year. Those accounts
have been reported on by the company's auditor and delivered to the registrar
of companies. The report of the auditor was (i) unqualified, (ii) did not
include a reference to matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of
emphasis without qualifying their report, and (iii) did not contain a
statement under section 498 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.
2. Segmental reporting
The group's activities are providing funding for insurance premiums,
professional fees, school fees, leisure activities and asset financing wholly
within the UK.
Our lending meets the criteria for aggregation as the underwriting process,
management of the loans, distribution channels, risks and rewards are all
similar. The customer base does differ (insurance brokers, professional firms,
schools and leisure) but our lending is still subject to strict underwriting
processes. Therefore, there is no meaningful information that could be given
on a geographical or segmental basis. Revenue by type is shown below.
Notes to the financial statements
Revenue
6 Months to
6 Months to 31 January 2022 Year to
31 January 2023 31 July 2022
£000 £000 £000
Revenue
Interest revenue using the effective interest rate method 3,011 2,355 5,003
Other revenue 752 536 1,187
3,763 2,891 6,190
Timing of revenue recognition:
At a point in time - direct debit charges 387 323 672
At a point in time - non utilisation fees 412 399 794
Over time - loan administrative fees 294 143 374
At a point in time - default and settlement fees 46 32 46
Over time - licence fees 71 70 141
Over time - interest revenue outside the scope of IFRS 15 2,553 1,924 4,163
3,763 2,891 6,190
4. Taxation
The tax assessed for the period differs from the main corporation tax rates in
the UK (19% for the half years to 31 January 2023 and 2022 and for the full
year to 31 July 2022) because of the effect of items disallowed for tax and
accelerated capital allowances.
5. Earnings per share
Earnings per share are based on the total comprehensive income shown above,
for each relevant period, and the weighted average number of ordinary shares
in issue during each period. For all three periods, this was 21,354,167. There
are no options or other factors which would dilute these, therefore the fully
diluted earnings per share is identical.
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