The Lemon Fool

Financial highlights

· Food & Beverage Solutions profit2 +12% to £177m; +3% volume and +6% revenue

· Sucralose profit2 -9% to £55m reflecting pricing pressure and higher production costs

· Primary Products profit2 +5% to £158m with Sweeteners and Starches -13%, Commodities +98%

· Group adjusted profit before tax +6%

· Adjusted diluted EPS +12%, benefitting from lower effective tax rate of 14.3% (2020: 17.9%)

· Group statutory diluted EPS +3% after exceptional costs to explore separating businesses and for productivity

· Adjusted free cash flow +£3m higher at £250m

· Net debt £34m lower at £417m; Net Debt to EBITDA ratio 0.8x

· Strong return on capital employed of 17.2%, a 30bps decrease due to the short-term impact of acquisitions

· Final dividend increased by 5.8% to 22.0p, making a full year dividend of 30.8p, up 4.1%

Emerging stronger from the pandemic

· Purpose-led response to pandemic ensuring colleagues and communities supported and customers served

· Broadening product portfolio, investing in innovation and strengthening technical capabilities

· Pandemic accelerating trends for healthier food and drink; supporting growth in new business and innovation

And later;

Dividend

The Board recognises the importance of dividends to shareholders and operates a progressive dividend policy. Due to the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board decided not to increase either the final dividend for the 2020 financial year or the interim dividend for the 2021 financial year. Given this year's robust performance, the Board is recommending a 1.2p or 5.8% increase in the final dividend to 22.0p (2020 - 20.8p) per share, bringing the full year dividend to 30.8p per share (2020 - 29.6p), an increase of 4.1%. This increase brings dividends back to a level consistent with the Board's progressive dividend policy, notwithstanding the pandemic.

The final dividend is subject to approval by shareholders at the AGM on 29 July 2021. Subject to shareholder approval, the final dividend will be due and payable on 6 August 2021 to all shareholders on the Register of Members on 25 June 2021. In addition to the cash dividend option, shareholders will continue to be offered a Dividend Reinvestment Plan alternative.

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5%. Bonkers.

idpickering wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5%. Bonkers.

Agreed.

Ian.

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5%Yield up. Bonkers.Not Bonkers!

moorfield wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5% and yield up. Bonkers for those who already hold and aren't considering increasing their holding (though in a way that's only of secondary importance). Not Bonkers for those who are considering buying!

Lost count the number of times I've fixed that for people , remember where we are ...

Gengulphus wrote:

moorfield wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5% and yield up. Bonkers for those who already hold and aren't considering increasing their holding (though in a way that's only of secondary importance). Not Bonkers for those who are considering buying!

Lost count the number of times I've fixed that for people , remember where we are ...

Fixed that for you...

Gengulphus

idpickering wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Decent set of results.
Price down 5%. Bonkers.

Agreed.

Ian.

absolutezero wrote:Bonkers.

csearle wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Bonkers.

What gets me is how, when I read these pithy overviews of a company's results, I get it wrong almost every time. In my head I think the share price must have shot up, only it has tumbled; or vice versa. It is uncanny. I am useless at it. I would be really good if I just religiously predicted the opposite of what I reasoned. C.

absolutezero wrote:

csearle wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Bonkers.

What gets me is how, when I read these pithy overviews of a company's results, I get it wrong almost every time. In my head I think the share price must have shot up, only it has tumbled; or vice versa. It is uncanny. I am useless at it. I would be really good if I just religiously predicted the opposite of what I reasoned. C.

I've often thought that myself.
Someone usually trots out the defence of "the results were good but did not meet analyst expectations so the price fell".

Surely that means the analysts are crap at their jobs then. Maybe their price should fall instead.

csearle wrote:

absolutezero wrote:Bonkers.

What gets me is how, when I read these pithy overviews of a company's results, I get it wrong almost every time. In my head I think the share price must have shot up, only it has tumbled; or vice versa. It is uncanny. I am useless at it. I would be really good if I just religiously predicted the opposite of what I reasoned. C.