Arden’s (LSE:ARDN) turnover has fallen 58% in six years and it is profoundly unprofitable. But staff numbers have fallen by only 31%, and directors’ remuneration by only 33%.
If you include secretaries and other low-paid staff, the average salary was £107,000 in 2015 – some people are getting very well paid while shareholders lose money. The pain of hard times is not to be felt by the privileged few it seems.
£’000s | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
Overall revenue | 5,486 | 7,955 | 10,103 | 9,785 | 12,381 | 13,046 |
Corporate Finance revenue | 3,314 | 5,266 | 5,057 | 3,361 | 4,743 | 6,933 |
Equities Division revenue | 2,172 | 2,689 | 5,046 | 6,424 | 7,638 | 6,113 |
Profit after tax | -2,098 | 103 | 979 | 131 | 506 | -1,031 |
Director’s remuneration | 544 | 554 | 878 | 905 | 975 | 817 |
Total staffing costs, inc. directors | 4,281 | 4,216 | 4,752 | 5,211 | 6,308 | 8,158 |
Number of employees | 40 | 40 | 39 | 37 | 48 | 58 |
All administration costs (inc staff) | 7,646 | 7,936 | 8,829 | 9,634 | 11,826 | 13,622 |
Costs other than staff | 3,365 | 3,720 | 4,077 | 4,423 | 5,518 | 5,464 |
Dividend per share | 0 | 0.75p | 3p | 0.65p | 0 | 0 |
Earnings per share | -10.8p | 0.5p | 4.7p | 0.6p | 2.2p | -4.2p |
Number of client brokerships | 42 | 44 | 39 | 36 | 32 | 41 |
Funds raised for clients | £44m | £92m | £283m | £166m | £265m | £183m |
Number of client fundraisings | n/a | 18 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 15 |
In a year when revenue fell by £2.5m, administration costs fell by only £0.3m. Hence the loss from operations of £2.2m.
The turnover decline is worse in……..To read the rest of this article, and more like it, subscribe to my premium newsletter Deep Value Shares – click here http://newsletters.advfn.com/deepvalueshares/subscribe-1