22 July 2024
MONY Group
plc
Interim
results for the six months ended 30 June 2024
Good trading and strategic
achievements with the best ever H1 revenue and
EBITDA
6
months ended 30 June
|
2024
|
2023
|
Growth
|
Group revenue
|
£223.5m
|
£213.8m
|
5%
|
EBITDA *
|
£73.0m
|
£67.7m
|
8%
|
Profit after tax
|
£44.1m
|
£41.0m
|
8%
|
Adjusted basic EPS **
|
8.8p
|
8.3p
|
6%
|
Basic EPS
|
8.3p
|
7.6p
|
9%
|
Operating cashflow
|
£51.8m
|
£41.1m
|
26%
|
Net debt ***
|
£25.1m
|
£54.4m
|
(54)%
|
Interim dividend per
share
|
3.3p
|
3.2p
|
3%
|
Trading performance
·
Revenue up 5%, supported by strong performance in
Insurance and Cashback. Gross margin maintained at 68% and EBITDA
up 8% to £73m
·
Increase in operating costs kept to 2%, as a
result of work completed so far in building out our platform and
delivering marketing efficiencies, in line with our
strategy
·
Strong cash conversion - £51.8m of operating
cashflow during the period
·
Dividend up 3% to 3.3p
Strategic achievements
· Growth across our member-based customer propositions with
positive early indicators
· Milestone 500k members passed in MoneySuperMarket
SuperSaveClub (300k in April 2024)
· MoneySavingExpert App named a top 10 UK news app, with 1.4m
downloads
· Good
member growth momentum in Quidco
· Provider offering enhanced with new providers now able to
launch simultaneously across our brands and B2B partners as a
result of our single platform
· 37
B2B partners onboarded across car and home insurance, broadband,
mobile and energy
Peter Duffy,
CEO of MONY Group, said:
"We've made
good progress in the first half of the year reaching a best ever H1
revenue and EBITDA. Ours is a business that only makes money
if customers save money and in the first half of 2024, we saved
customers £1.7bn. By offering easier ways to save through
SuperSaveClub, the MoneySavingExpert App and Quidco, customers will
increasingly come to us direct and more frequently too. The
work we have done on our tech and data platform makes this
possible, and I am excited about the growth opportunity
ahead."
Outlook
The progress of our strategy, as
well as the actions we are taking to generate growth, give the
Board confidence that the Group will deliver results in line with
market expectations1 for the year. As previously stated,
we expect growth in Insurance to return to more normalised levels
as we begin to lap the exceptional growth experienced in 2023 and
we do not expect any material revenue from energy switching this
year.
1Market expectations for adjusted EBITDA for 2024 from the
analyst consensus on our investor website is £140.5m with
a range of £135.8m to £143.7m
Results presentation
A presentation for investors and
analysts will be available from 7am at
https://www.monygroup.com/investors/results-reports-and-presentations/
A Q&A session will be held at
9.30am with Peter Duffy (CEO) and Niall McBride (CFO). This session
can be accessed via:
https://www.lsegissuerservices.com/spark/MoneysupermarketcomGroup/events/77b77e42-a8d4-4d63-8037-c94952482ed1
For further information,
contact:
Niall McBride, Chief Financial
Officer
Niall.McBride@monygroup.com / 0203 826 4667
Rebecca Jamieson, Investor
Relations Rebecca.Jamieson@monygroup.com /
0203 846 2434
William Clutterbuck, H/Advisors
Maitland William.Clutterbuck@h-advisors.global
/ 07785 292617
About MONY Group
At MONY Group our purpose is
to help households save money. Our comparison sites
MoneySuperMarket, TravelSuperMarket and Icelolly make it easy to
find great deals and save money on household bills and financial
products, from car, pet, travel and home insurance to credit cards,
loans, savings, pensions, mortgages, bank accounts, holidays, car
hire, broadband and TV packages. We show our providers'
products to millions of customers in a cost-effective and flexible
way. MoneySavingExpert is packed full of money saving tips and
tools and information to help people take control of their
finances. We speak up for consumers, and our national campaigns
help households across the UK. And with Quidco, our customers earn
free cashback from over 5,000 online retailers. Our scalable,
proprietary price comparison technology platform powers a growing
number of brands including Auto Trader, Rightmove and the
NUS.
Cautionary note regarding forward looking
statements
This announcement includes
statements that are forward looking in nature. Forward looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, assumptions,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the Company to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Except as
required by the Listing Rules, Disclosure Guidance and Transparency
Rules and applicable law, the company undertakes no obligation to
update, revise or change any forward-looking statements to reflect
events or developments occurring on or after the date such
statements are published.
Notes:
*
EBITDA is operating profit before
depreciation and amortisation. In both the current and prior period
there were no adjusting items within EBITDA. This is consistent
with how business performance is measured internally.
**Adjusted basic earnings per share
is profit before tax adjusted for amortisation of
acquisition related intangible assets
divided by the number of weighted
average shares. A reconciliation of adjusted basic earnings per
share to the interim financial statements is included in note
5.
***Net debt is cash and cash
equivalents of £24.9m (2023: £20.2m) less borrowings of £48.0m
(2023: £63.0m), deferred
consideration of £nil (2023:
£9.8m) and loan notes payable to Podium's non-controlling interest
of £2.0m (2023: £1.8m). It does
not include lease
liabilities.
Quarter 2 and H1 2024 trading performance
|
Revenue for the 3 months
ended 30 June 2024
|
Revenue for the 6 months
ended 30 June 2024
|
|
£m
|
Growth*
|
£m
|
Growth
|
Insurance
|
58.5
|
6%
|
119.9
|
14%
|
Money
|
24.9
|
0%
|
50.9
|
(2)%
|
Home Services
|
7.9
|
(13)%
|
16.7
|
(10)%
|
Travel
|
5.7
|
(8)%
|
11.7
|
1%
|
Cashback
|
14.6
|
4%
|
29.8
|
3%
|
Inter-vertical
eliminations*
|
(2.7)
|
56%
|
(5.5)
|
86%
|
Total
|
108.9
|
1%
|
223.5
|
5%
|
* The inter-vertical eliminations revenue line reflects
transactions where revenue in Cashback and Travel has also been
recorded as cost of sales in other verticals.
Revenue in Q2 (for the 3 months
ended 30 June 2024) grew 1%, driven by strong trading in Insurance
and Cashback.
In H1 2024, the group generated
strong overall revenue and profit growth, both up 5%.
Performance within each of our
verticals in Q2 2024 and in H1 2024 is as follows:
· Insurance:
· We
delivered 6% growth in Q2, driven by car and home switching which
remained buoyant due to sustained high premium prices. The strong
performance in car and home was slightly offset by travel insurance
which was impacted by consumers trending towards lower-mid tier
cover. This is a return to more normal policy distribution
following the popularity surge of high-tier policies during
covid.
· Over
the half, Insurance grew 14%, with home insurance resuming its
position as our second largest channel after car. Car premium
inflation began to slow through the half, with home premium
inflation stabilising. Our quarter-on-quarter growth rate from Q1
to Q2 reflects the shift towards more normal levels of premium
inflation.
· Money:
· In
Q2, Money was flat. Good performance in credit card switching was
offset by weakness in loans which remain less affordable for
consumers in the high interest rate environment. We also
experienced a weaker performance in banking (current accounts and
savings products) due to fewer attractive offers in the
period.
· In
the half, Money was down slightly at -2% reflecting similar trends
of weaker conversion in banking and high interest rates affecting
borrowing, offset by a stronger performance in credit card
switching. We are also lapping a very strong performance in banking
in H123.
· Home
Services:
· In
Q2 we saw continued weakness in broadband and a softening of mobile
switching, driven by lower levels of conversion as providers
increased focus on customer retention.
· In
energy, there were a few switching deals available but market
uncertainty remains and energy revenues were immaterial. This
resulted in an overall Home Services revenue decline of -13% in
Q2.
· In
the half, the same trend of soft demand in broadband and stronger
competition resulted in Home Services revenue being down
-10%.
· Travel:
· In
Q2, package holiday performance remained solid although the market
was more competitive. Operators increased the number of low-priced
package holiday deals and grew their paid search (PPC) and brand
marketing costs to sell these which inflated our marketing costs.
Growth in Travel was also impacted by a weak car hire
market.
· This
resulted in Q2 revenue down -8% as we took action to adjust our
marketing spend and protect margins.
· In
the half, Travel revenue was up 1%, after a very strong Q1, driven
by good performance in package holidays.
· Note
that travel insurance is contained within Insurance.
· Cashback:
· We
generated strong growth in Q2 of 4%, driven by Insurance and the
ongoing success of Quidco Compare following its launch in
H123.
· Over
the half, Cashback performed well with revenue growth of 3%. This
was in part driven by our member growth momentum, as well as a
strong performance in Insurance and tenancy within
Cashback.
Strategic
review
In the first half, the Group saved
households an estimated £1.7bn as we continued to fulfil our
purpose of saving households money.
Our strategy is simple - to grow a
two-sided marketplace. In doing so, we will rely less on paid
traffic, and grow revenue per user by improving cross-purchasing,
repeat purchasing and customer loyalty with our already well
trusted brands.
On one side of the marketplace, we
have the services we offer to our customers and on the other, the
services we offer to our providers and third-party brands. We have
made great progress in expanding both sides of our
business.
Customer
strategy:
The customer strategy is built on
growing on our member-based offers; MoneySuperMarket SuperSaveClub,
MoneySavingExpert App and Quidco. These member-based propositions
are focused on growing customer loyalty, engagement, repeat
purchasing and retention, as well as driving consumer traffic
direct to our sites. In time, this should result in a reduced
reliance on paid-for marketing.
SuperSaveClub
The SuperSaveClub ('SSC') is
MoneySuperMarket's member-based rewards programme. Typically, in
price comparison, products are sold once per year. This provides a
single touchpoint annually to engage with any given consumer,
leading to high third-party advertising spend in order to stay
front of mind.
The SSC now has over 500k members
and we have grown the number of products available in the club from
6 at the beginning of the year to 10 at the end of June,
representing more than half of MSM sales channels by volume. In
July, we also launched Cashback in the club which provides further
opportunity for more frequent engagement with our
members.
Early data shows that more Club
members are coming to us directly, with members 20% more likely to
come direct for their second purchase than traditional MSM users.
This supports our wider strategic goal of reducing our reliance on
paid-for marketing. They are also buying more products from us,
with members 4x more likely to buy a second product than
non-members, supportive of our strategic goal to grow customer
lifetime value. This is driven, in part, by their increased
propensity to engage with our CRM activity and to download the
MoneySuperMarket app.
Whilst it is still early in the
SSC journey, and we remain cautious about drawing conclusions from
the trends we have seen from our early adopters, initial results
are encouraging, showing that the club is achieving what we set out
to.
MoneySavingExpert
MoneySavingExpert ('MSE') helps
millions of consumers with information, tips and tools to save
money. The MoneySavingExpert App is our member-based offer for MSE
and we have again seen good momentum here.
Eighteen months after launch, the
MSE App has been named as one of the UK's top 10 news apps, with
1.4m downloads and average monthly active users reaching 443k in
the half. The 9m+ people who receive Martin Lewis's weekly tip
email, can also now open this directly on the MSE App.
In the half, we launched a new and
improved MSE Credit Club, which includes a unique eligibility
rating. This new tool tells consumers not just if they could get
credit but provides an affordability score to show whether they
should take out credit based on their real-world credit power. The
existing 1.6m Credit Club users were upgraded to this new version
during the half and it was made available to new users in June.
This addition of this tool is a clear competitive advantage over
existing services in the market and a real step change in the
Credit Club offering.
MSE has a dedicated, loyal and
growing audience. Ongoing efforts to enhance and expand the user
experience means we continue to see building traffic volumes,
greater customer interaction and increased stickiness to the
benefit of the wider MONY Group. There is further opportunity
available to personalise the MSE App experience through additional
tools and tips which will help users save even more money and
improve their financial health, all of which will drive increased
volume growth, engagement and retention, helping us progress
against our wider strategic goals.
Quidco
Quidco, one of the UK's leading
cashback sites, is the third of our member-based offers, helping
customers save across travel, online retail and services such as
insurance, broadband and mobile. Using a network of over 5,000
merchants, members can make purchases and save money at the same
time.
We saw good momentum in the half
as a result of actions we have taken to improve the user experience
and deliver a more personalised, targeted CRM strategy. This was
made possible because of our investment in data and our platform,
as well as our leading-edge CRM which means we can target specific
cohorts of customers with tailored offers and discounts rather than
using a one size fits all approach. Our progress on personalisation
is proving effective in attracting users who are increasingly
engaged.
Cashback deals, powered by Quidco
capability, were launched in the SSC in July. Cashback in the Club
is a key component of our strategy to drive regular, repeat
engagement beyond annual-renewal products, as it taps into everyday
consumer spending.
Services for
providers:
On the other side of our
marketplace, we have the services we offer providers. Investment in
our platform and in our data means we now have a more enhanced
provider offering than ever before. By moving everything onto one
platform we can onboard providers more quickly, and across all our
brands simultaneously, making it much more commercially attractive
to them.
Tenancy
Using data insights from the
platform, we can offer tailored advertising spots 'Tenancy' to our
providers to promote their products. These are dedicated spots,
clearly labelled as 'sponsored' above the results grid. In recent
weeks, we have rolled out tenancy slots to MSM's SuperSaveClub,
kicking off with a pilot campaign for broadband. Tenancy spots are
now available across all core product lines.
Market Boost
Market Boost uses our
first-party data to show providers how their products perform
across our platform. They can then use these insights to improve
their approach and offer even better or more relevant deals to
customers. At the time of our FY23 results in February, Market
Boost was only available on loans. It is now available on Credit
Cards and we will start rolling out into Insurance channels in the
second half of 2024.
B2B
Our white label B2B proposition
uses the Group platform to power comparison services for
third-party brands.
We have grown the B2B offer over
the last 6 months and now have 37 partners across car insurance,
home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, broadband, mobile,
mortgages and energy, including well-known brands like Rightmove,
Auto Trader, ClearScore and the National Union of
Students.
The B2B business generates revenue
for the Group at limited incremental cost by leveraging the
investment we have made in our technology platform. It enhances our
ability to reach new customers, increasing our market share which,
in turn, makes our proposition more valuable to providers who want
to access a large, relevant audience.
Having launched our B2B car
insurance journey in H1 2023, we have already attracted 10 new B2B
car insurance providers. These partnerships are still new, but we
are seeing early momentum.
Our aim is to become a
one-stop-shop for digital businesses looking to offer comparison
services. By using our platform to enable comparison journeys for
other brands, we have the opportunity to become the technology
platform of choice to power the entire industry.
ESG
The Group is committed to becoming
Operational Net Zero by 2030. We are pleased to confirm that we
have received approval of our Science Based Target, as well as a
commendation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for
our ambitious environmental commitments. The SBTi's Target
Validation Team has rigorously assessed and classified our scope 1
and 2 target ambition, affirming its alignment with a 1.5°C
trajectory.
We continue to disclose our
environmental impact via the Carbon Disclosure Project, for which
we obtained a "C" rating and maintain a 'Carbon Neutral' status,
with our commitment of offsetting 100% of our carbon
emissions.
We have continued our focus on
Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging, with programmes in place
to support the mental and physical wellbeing of our colleagues, as
well as ensure we continue to attract diverse talent to our
business and promote awareness.
MONY Group's current charity
partnership is with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The
partnership has seen MONY Group donate £168,149 in just 1.5 years,
so is on track to exceed
the 3-year target of £225,000 which will fund
18,442 lifesaving calls to CALM's helpline.
Key performance indicators
The Board reviews key performance
indicators (KPIs) to assess the performance of the business against
the Group's strategy. The KPIs are largely brand focused and
therefore span multiple segments. We measure 6 key strategic KPIs:
estimated Group customer savings, Group marketing margin, MSM and
MSE net promoter score, MSM & Quidco active users, MSM &
Quidco revenue per active user and MSM cross-channel
enquiry.
We will continue to evaluate and
broaden the KPIs as needed to ensure they provide visibility of our
strategic progress under a framework that measures the strength of
the Group and our brands.
|
30 June
2024
|
30 June
2023
|
Estimated Group customer
savings
|
£1.7bn
|
£1.3bn
|
Group marketing margin*
|
60%
|
58%
|
MSM & MSE net promoter
score
|
71
|
71
|
MSM & Quidco active
users**
|
14.3m
|
13.2m
|
MSM & Quidco revenue per
active user**
|
£18.24
|
£17.38
|
MSM cross-channel
enquiry
|
23.9%
|
23.3%
|
Estimated Group customer
savings: This is calculated by multiplying sales volume by the market
average price per product
based on external data compared to
the cheapest deal in the results table for core channels. Savings
for non-core channels are estimated by applying the savings for
core channels proportionally to non-core revenue. The cashback
earned by Quidco members is included in this KPI.
Group marketing margin:
The inverse relationship between Group revenue and total marketing
spend
represented as a percentage. Total
marketing spend is the direct cost of sales plus
distribution expenses.
MSM & MSE net promoter score:
The 12 monthly rolling
average NPS (1 July 2023 - 30 June 2024 inclusive)
measured
by YouGov Brand Index service
Recommend Score weighted by revenue for MSM and
MSE to create a combined
NPS.
MSM & Quidco active users:
The number of unique MSM accounts running enquiries on MSM (car
insurance, home
insurance, life insurance, travel
insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, credit cards,
loans and energy channels) in the
last 12-month period, plus the number of unique
Quidco members making a purchase
in the last 12-month period.
MSM & Quidco revenue per
active user: The revenue for MSM channels (car insurance, home
insurance, life insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van
insurance, credit cards, loans and energy channels) plus
Quidco revenue net of member
commission divided by the number of MSM and Quidco
active users for the last 12
months.
MSM cross-channel enquiry:
The proportion of MSM active users that enquire in more than one
channel (car
insurance, home insurance, life
insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, credit
cards, loans and energy) within a 12-month period.
*Marketing spend for the period is
£90m (2023: £89m).
**At the end of 2023 we extended
our definition of active users to reflect the development of the
business by including Quidco
and 3 additional MSM channels
where enquiry data is available. Comparatives for active users and
revenue per active user in
the above table have been restated
to reflect this change.
KPI definitions reflect the parts
of the Group most relevant for assessing its performance and where
data is available: NPS
includes our two biggest consumer
brands. Active users is most relevant for MSM and Quidco where user
accounts are
identified as a key part of the
transactional journey. Cross-channel enquiry relates only to MSM as
this metric is aligned to our
aim of offering more products to
users as part of our retain and grow strategy.
Estimated customer savings
increased to £1.7bn in the half driven by
growth in car insurance switching volumes and savings per sale for
car insurance customers.
The increase in marketing margin
reflects movements in gross margin, described below, and lower
marketing spend in the first half of 2024.
Trust and satisfaction in our
brands remained strong with NPS unchanged at 71.
Active user numbers rose by 1.1m
to 14.3m driven by strong car and home insurance performance,
partly offset by continued decline in energy enquiries as the
energy switching market remained subdued.
Revenue per active user grew by
86p to £18.24 due to a mix away from energy, improved borrowing
conversion, and from higher multichannel activity.
The cross-channel enquiry rate
increased 0.6%pts to 23.9%, assisted by the growth of SuperSaveClub
members.
Financial review
Group revenue increased 5% to
£223.5m (2023: £213.8m), with profit after tax increasing 8% to
£44.1m (2023: £41.0m). When reviewing performance, the Board
reviews several adjusted measures, including EBITDA which increased
8% to £73.0m (2023: £67.7m) and basic adjusted EPS which increased
6% to 8.8p (2023: 8.3p), as shown in the table below.
Extract from the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive
Income
for the six months ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June
2023
|
2024
|
2023
|
Growth
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
|
Revenue
|
223.5
|
213.8
|
5%
|
|
Cost of sales
|
(71.3)
|
(68.4)
|
4%
|
|
Gross profit
|
152.2
|
145.4
|
5%
|
|
Operating costs
|
(91.8)
|
(89.7)
|
2%
|
|
Operating profit
|
60.4
|
55.7
|
8%
|
|
Amortisation and
depreciation
|
12.6
|
12.0
|
5%
|
|
EBITDA*
|
73.0
|
67.7
|
8%
|
|
Adjusted earnings per
share**:
|
|
|
|
|
- basic (p)
|
|
8.8
|
8.3
|
6%
|
- diluted (p)
|
|
8.8
|
8.2
|
6%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
*In the current and prior periods
there were no adjusting items within EBITDA
**A reconciliation of adjusted EPS
is included within note 5.
Alternative performance measures
We use a number of alternative
(non-Generally Accepted Accounting Practice ("non-GAAP")) financial
measures which are not defined within IFRS. The Board reviews
EBITDA and adjusted EPS alongside GAAP measures when reviewing the
performance of the Group. Executive management bonus targets
include an EBITDA measure and the long-term incentive plans include
an adjusted basic EPS measure.
The adjustments are separately
disclosed and are usually items that are non-underlying to trading
activities and that are significant in size. Alternative
performance measures used within these statements are accompanied
with a reference to the relevant GAAP measure and the adjustments
made. These measures should be considered alongside the IFRS
measures.
Revenue
for the six months ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June
2023
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
Growth
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
Insurance
|
|
119.9
|
105.6
|
14%
|
Money
|
|
50.9
|
51.9
|
(2)%
|
Home Services
|
|
16.7
|
18.7
|
(10)%
|
Travel
|
|
11.7
|
11.6
|
1%
|
Cashback
|
|
29.8
|
29.0
|
3%
|
Inter-vertical
eliminations
|
|
(5.5)
|
(3.0)
|
86%
|
Total
|
|
223.5
|
213.8
|
5%
|
Operating costs
for the six months ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June
2023
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
Growth
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
Distribution expenses
|
|
18.9
|
20.6
|
(8)%
|
Administrative expenses
|
|
72.9
|
69.1
|
5%
|
Operating costs
|
|
91.8
|
89.7
|
2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Within administration
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
Amortisation of technology related
intangible assets
|
|
4.9
|
4.4
|
13%
|
Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets
|
|
5.4
|
5.5
|
(3)%
|
Depreciation
|
|
2.3
|
2.1
|
7%
|
Amortisation and
depreciation
|
|
12.6
|
12.0
|
5%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating costs were
2% up on last year as expected.
The work we have completed so far in building our
tech platform and driving marketing efficiencies has enabled us to
operate more cost effectively.
Distribution costs were down 8%
reflecting lower marketing spend in the first half of 2024 due, in
part, to efficiency gains within our brand advertising, as well as
production costs for some FY24 advertising falling into the prior
year.
Administrative expenses increased
5%. We implemented further automation in the half delivering
efficiencies which enabled us to hold the growth of people costs to
+2%.
Adjusting items*
for the six months ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June
2023
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
Growth
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets
|
|
5.4
|
5.5
|
(3)%
|
Adjusting items included in operating
profit
|
|
5.4
|
5.5
|
(3)%
|
* Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets is not included in EBITDA and therefore
is only included as an adjusting item in the adjusted EPS
calculation.
Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets relates to technology, brands and member
relationships arising on the acquisitions of CYTI, Quidco and
Podium as well as the combination of TravelSupermarket and
Icelolly, in prior years. These assets are being amortised over
periods of three to five years.
Dividends
The Board has recommended a return
to dividend growth with a 3% increase to the interim dividend to
3.3 pence per share (H1 2023: 3.2p). This reflects the ongoing good
cash conversion of the business, strong balance sheet and the
Board's confidence in the future prospects of the Group.
The interim dividend will be paid
on 9 September 2024 to shareholders on the register at the close of
business on 2 August 2024.
Tax
The effective tax rate of 24.0% is
below the UK standard rate of 25.0% primarily due to the impact of
temporary timing differences. Last year, the effective tax rate of
23.1% was below the UK standard rate of 25.0%. This was driven by
the change in tax rate in April 2023, which resulted in a blended
rate for the year of 23.5%. The effective tax rate was lower than
this blended rate due to an adjustment in respect of the prior
period which reduced the tax charge.
Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share for the
six months ended 30 June 2024 was 8.3p (2023: 7.6p). The increase
from last year is driven by the increase in EBITDA.
Adjusted earnings per share is
based on profit before tax before the adjusting items detailed
above. A tax rate of 25% (2023: 23.5%) is applied to calculate
adjusted profit after tax which is different to the effective rate
used to calculate basic earnings per share. The tax rate last year
reflected the change in rate from 19% to 25% in April 2023.
Adjusted basic earnings per ordinary share increased by 6% to 8.8p
per share (2023: 8.3p) which is driven by the increase in EBITDA
partially offset by the increase in rate of corporation
tax.
Cashflow and balance sheet
Operating cashflows increased by
26% to £51.8m (2023: £41.1m) with a working capital outflow of
£6.0m (2023: £13.1m) again driven by higher receivables from the
uplift in trade since the year end. The timing of some significant
customer receipts in December 2022 also contributed to the higher
working capital outflow at the last half year.
Cash outflows on investing
activities include £5.1m (2023: £6.0m) of capital spend and cash
outflows on financing activities include a £15m repayment on the
term loan taken out for the acquisition of Quidco leaving £15m to
be repaid in the second half of the year.
Net debt was £25.1m (31 December
2023: £19.8m) and includes £48.0m (31 December 2023: £34.5m) of
borrowings and £2.0m (31 December 2023: £1.9m) of loan
notes.
Capital expenditure
Technology additions on the
balance sheet were £5.4m (30 June 2023: £5.6m). For the year, we
expect technology capex to be in the region of £11-13m.
We expect the technology
amortisation charge for the year to be in the region of £10m,
excluding acquired intangibles.
Directors' responsibility statement in respect of the
half-yearly financial report
Each of the directors, whose names
and functions are listed below, confirms that, to the best of his
or her knowledge:
· the
condensed set of financial statements has been prepared in
accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted for
use in the UK;
· the
interim management report includes a fair review of the information
required by:
(a) DTR 4.2.7R of the Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rules, being an indication of important
events that have occurred during the first six months of the
financial year and their impact on the condensed set of financial
statements; and a description of the principal risks and
uncertainties for the remaining six months of the year;
and
(b) DTR 4.2.8R of the Disclosure
Guidance and Transparency Rules, being related party transactions
that have taken place in the first six months of the current
financial year and that have materially affected the financial
position or performance of the Group during that period; and any
changes in the related party transactions described in the last
annual report that could do so.
Name
|
Function
|
Robin Freestone
|
Chair
|
Peter Duffy
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
Niall McBride
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
Caroline Britton
|
Senior Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
Sarah Warby
|
Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
Lesley Jones
|
Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
Rakesh Sharma
|
Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
Mary Beth Christie
|
Independent Non-Executive
Director
|
Consolidated statement of comprehensive
income
for the six months ended 30
June 2024 and 30 June 2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
2
|
|
|
223.5
|
213.8
|
Cost of sales
|
|
|
|
(71.3)
|
(68.4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
|
152.2
|
145.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distribution expenses
|
|
|
|
(18.9)
|
(20.6)
|
Administrative expenses
|
|
|
|
(72.9)
|
(69.1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
|
60.4
|
55.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net finance expense
|
3
|
|
|
(2.3)
|
(2.4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Profit before taxation
|
|
|
|
58.1
|
53.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taxation
|
4
|
|
|
(14.0)
|
(12.3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Profit for the period
|
|
|
|
44.1
|
41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other comprehensive
income
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total comprehensive income for the period
|
|
|
|
44.3
|
41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Profit/(Loss) attributable
to:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Owners of the Company
|
|
|
|
44.2
|
40.7
|
Non-controlling
interest
|
11
|
|
|
(0.1)
|
0.3
|
Profit for the period
|
|
|
|
44.1
|
41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total comprehensive income
attributable to:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Owners of the company
|
|
|
|
44.4
|
40.7
|
Non-controlling
interest
|
11
|
|
|
(0.1)
|
0.3
|
Total comprehensive income for the period
|
|
|
|
44.3
|
41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings per ordinary share
(pence)
|
5
|
|
|
8.3
|
7.6
|
Diluted earnings per ordinary
share (pence)
|
5
|
|
|
8.2
|
7.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Consolidated statement of financial
position
as at 30 June 2024, 31 December 2023 and 30 June
2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
|
30 June
2024
|
31
December
2023
|
30 June
2023
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Property, plant and
equipment
|
|
29.5
|
32.1
|
33.7
|
Intangible assets and
goodwill
|
7
|
255.4
|
260.3
|
275.6
|
Other investments
|
|
5.6
|
5.4
|
5.5
|
Total non-current assets
|
|
290.5
|
297.8
|
314.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
|
82.7
|
79.3
|
82.2
|
Prepayments
|
|
11.9
|
10.1
|
9.7
|
Current tax assets
|
|
2.8
|
1.3
|
0.4
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
|
24.9
|
16.6
|
20.2
|
Total current assets
|
|
122.3
|
107.3
|
112.5
|
Total assets
|
|
412.8
|
405.1
|
427.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Non-current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Other payables
|
|
23.7
|
25.4
|
26.4
|
Borrowings
|
8
|
-
|
-
|
15.0
|
Provisions
|
9
|
1.9
|
-
|
-
|
Deferred tax
liabilities
|
|
14.5
|
15.8
|
21.0
|
Total non-current liabilities
|
|
40.1
|
41.2
|
62.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Trade and other
payables
|
|
101.0
|
103.3
|
106.4
|
Borrowings
|
8
|
48.0
|
34.5
|
48.0
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
149.0
|
137.8
|
154.4
|
Total liabilities
|
|
189.1
|
179.0
|
216.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
Share capital
|
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
Share premium
|
|
205.5
|
205.5
|
205.4
|
Reserve for own shares
|
|
(1.9)
|
(2.4)
|
(2.7)
|
Retained earnings
|
|
(49.3)
|
(46.3)
|
(62.3)
|
Other reserves
|
|
63.8
|
63.6
|
63.7
|
Equity attributable to the owners of the
Company
|
|
218.2
|
220.5
|
204.2
|
Non-controlling
interest
|
11
|
5.5
|
5.6
|
6.3
|
Total equity
|
|
223.7
|
226.1
|
210.5
|
Total equity and liabilities
|
|
412.8
|
405.1
|
427.3
|
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
for the period ended 30 June 2024, 31 December 2023 and 30
June 2023
|
Share
capital
|
Share
premium
|
Reserve
for own shares
|
Retained
earnings
|
Other
reserves
|
Equity
attributable to the owners of the Company
|
Non-controlling interest
|
Total
Equity
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2023
|
0.1
|
205.4
|
(2.4)
|
(58.1)
|
63.7
|
208.7
|
6.0
|
214.7
|
Profit for the period
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
40.7
|
-
|
40.7
|
0.3
|
41.0
|
Other comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Total comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
40.7
|
-
|
40.7
|
0.3
|
41.0
|
Purchase of shares by employee
trusts
|
-
|
-
|
(0.5)
|
-
|
-
|
(0.5)
|
-
|
(0.5)
|
Exercise of LTIP awards
|
-
|
-
|
0.2
|
(0.2)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Equity dividends
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(46.2)
|
-
|
(46.2)
|
-
|
(46.2)
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
At 30 June 2023
|
0.1
|
205.4
|
(2.7)
|
(62.3)
|
63.7
|
204.2
|
6.3
|
210.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 July 2023
|
0.1
|
205.4
|
(2.7)
|
(62.3)
|
63.7
|
204.2
|
6.3
|
210.5
|
Profit for the period
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
32.0
|
-
|
32.0
|
(0.7)
|
31.3
|
Other comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(0.1)
|
(0.1)
|
-
|
(0.1)
|
Total comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
32.0
|
(0.1)
|
31.9
|
(0.7)
|
31.2
|
New shares issued
|
-
|
0.1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0.1
|
-
|
0.1
|
Purchase of shares by employee
trusts
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Exercise of LTIP awards
|
-
|
-
|
0.3
|
(0.3)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Equity dividends
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(17.2)
|
-
|
(17.2)
|
-
|
(17.2)
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
At 31 December 2023
|
0.1
|
205.5
|
(2.4)
|
(46.3)
|
63.6
|
220.5
|
5.6
|
226.1
|
At 1 January 2024
|
0.1
|
205.5
|
(2.4)
|
(46.3)
|
63.6
|
220.5
|
5.6
|
226.1
|
Profit for the period
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
44.2
|
-
|
44.2
|
(0.1)
|
44.1
|
Other comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
0.2
|
0.2
|
-
|
0.2
|
Total comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
44.2
|
0.2
|
44.4
|
(0.1)
|
44.3
|
New shares issued
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Purchase of shares by employee
trusts
|
-
|
-
|
(0.4)
|
-
|
-
|
(0.4)
|
-
|
(0.4)
|
Exercise of LTIP awards
|
-
|
-
|
0.9
|
(0.9)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Equity dividends
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(47.8)
|
-
|
(47.8)
|
-
|
(47.8)
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
-
|
1.5
|
At 30 June 2024
|
0.1
|
205.5
|
(1.9)
|
(49.3)
|
63.8
|
218.2
|
5.5
|
223.7
|
Consolidated statement of cash flows
for the six months ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June
2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
Operating activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Profit for the period
|
|
|
|
44.1
|
41.0
|
Adjustments to reconcile Group profit to net cash flow from
operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortisation of intangible
assets
|
|
|
|
10.3
|
9.9
|
Depreciation of property,
plant and equipment
|
|
|
|
2.3
|
2.1
|
Net finance
expense
|
|
|
|
2.3
|
2.4
|
Equity settled share-based
payment transactions
|
|
|
|
1.5
|
1.5
|
Taxation expense
|
|
|
|
14.0
|
12.3
|
Changes in trade and other
receivables
|
|
|
|
(5.2)
|
(20.1)
|
Changes in trade and other
payables
|
|
|
|
(0.8)
|
7.0
|
Taxation paid
|
|
|
|
(16.7)
|
(15.0)
|
Net cash flow from operating activities
|
|
|
|
51.8
|
41.1
|
Investing activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest received
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
Acquisition of property, plant and
equipment
|
|
|
|
(0.0)
|
(0.4)
|
Acquisition of intangible
assets
|
|
|
|
(5.1)
|
(5.6)
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
|
(5.0)
|
(6.0)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends paid
|
|
6
|
|
(47.8)
|
(46.2)
|
Purchase of shares by employee
trusts
|
|
|
|
(0.4)
|
(0.5)
|
Proceeds from
borrowings
|
|
|
|
47.0
|
40.0
|
Repayment of borrowings
|
|
|
|
(33.5)
|
(21.0)
|
Interest paid
|
|
|
|
(2.4)
|
(2.4)
|
Repayment of lease
liabilities
|
|
|
|
(1.4)
|
(1.4)
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
|
|
(38.5)
|
(31.5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
3.6
|
Cash and cash equivalents at 1
January
|
|
|
|
16.6
|
16.6
|
Cash and cash equivalents at 30 June
|
|
|
|
24.9
|
20.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Notes
1. Basis of
preparation
MONY Group PLC (the Company)
changed its name from Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC on 20 May
2024. The Company is a public limited company registered and
domiciled in England and Wales and listed on the London Stock
Exchange.
The financial statements are
prepared on the historical cost basis. Comparative figures
presented in the financial statements represent the six months
ended 30 June 2023.
The financial statements have been
prepared on the same basis as those for the year ended 31 December
2023.
Statement of compliance
This condensed set of financial
statements has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 - Interim
Financial Reporting as adopted for use in the UK.
The annual financial statements of
the Group are prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international
accounting standards. As required by the Disclosure Guidance
and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the
condensed set of financial statements has been prepared applying
the accounting policies and presentation that were applied in the
preparation of the Company's published consolidated financial
statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
These condensed consolidated
interim financial statements were approved by the board of
directors on 19 July 2024.
Going concern
The Directors have prepared the
condensed set of consolidated interim financial statements on a
going concern basis for the following reasons.
As at 30 June 2024, the Group's
external debt comprised an amortising loan (with a balance
outstanding of £15m, repayable by October 2024) and a revolving
credit facility ('RCF'), (of which £33m of the £125m available was
drawn down), which is due for renewal in June 2027.
Since 30 June 2024, no further
amounts have been drawn down on the RCF and repayments of £9m have
been made. The Group remains profitable, cash generative and
compliant with the covenants of the bank loan and RCF.
The Directors have prepared cash
flow forecasts for the Group, including its cash position, for a
period of at least 12 months from the date of approval of the
condensed set of consolidated interim financial statements. The
Directors note the Group's net current liability position and have
also considered the effect of potential cost-of-living trading
headwinds and recession and competition such as new entrants upon
the Group's business, financial position, and liquidity in severe,
but plausible, downside scenarios. The scenarios modelled take into
account the potential downside trading impacts from recession,
sustained cost-of-living increases, competitive pressures and any
one-off cash impacts on top of a base scenario derived from the
Group's latest forecasts. The severe, but plausible, downside
scenarios modelled, under a detailed exercise at a channel level,
included minimal recovery of energy over the period of the cash
flow forecasts and in the most severe scenarios reflected some of
the possible cost mitigations that could be taken. The impact these
scenarios have on the financial resources, including the extent of
utilisation of the available debt arrangements and impact on
covenant calculations has been modelled. The possible mitigating
circumstances and actions in the event of such scenarios occurring
that were considered by the Directors included cost mitigations
such as a reduction in the ordinary dividend payment, a reduction
in operating expenses or the slowdown of capital expenditure. A
reverse stress test has also been performed, which assumes the
maximum available drawdown of borrowings, whilst maintaining
covenant compliance.
The scenarios modelled and the
reverse stress test showed that the Group and the Parent Company
will be able to operate at adequate levels of liquidity for at
least the next 12 months from the date of signing the condensed set
of consolidated interim financial statements. The Directors,
therefore, consider that the Group and Parent Company have adequate
resources to continue in operational existence for at least 12
months from the date of approval of the condensed set of
consolidated interim financial statements and have prepared them on
a going concern basis.
2. Segmental information
Below we report a measure of
profitability at segment level that reflects the way performance is
assessed internally. Inter-vertical revenue and inter-vertical cost
of sales are presented within the verticals in order to give a more
accurate view of performance and are deducted in a separate
"inter-vertical eliminations" column to arrive at the consolidated
total values. The Group has a number of teams, capabilities and
infrastructure which are used to support all verticals e.g. data
platform and brand marketing. These are shared costs of the Group
rather than "central costs". We have concluded there is no direct
or accurate basis for allocating these costs to the operating
segments and therefore they are disclosed separately, which is how
they are presented to the Chief Operating Decision
Maker.
The Group's reportable segments are
Insurance, Money, Home Services, Travel and Cashback. These
segments represent individual trading verticals which are reported
separately for revenue and directly attributable expenses. Net
finance expense, tax and net assets are only reviewed by the Chief
Operating Decision Maker at a consolidated level and therefore have
not been allocated between segments. All assets held by the Group
are located in the UK.
The following summary describes the
products and services in each segment.
Segment
|
|
Products and services
|
Insurance
|
|
Customer completes transaction for
insurance policy on any of the following: provider website, our
website or a telephone call.
|
Money
|
|
Customer completes transaction for
money products such as credit cards, loans and mortgages on
provider website.
|
Home Services
|
|
Customer completes transaction for
home services products such as energy and broadband on provider
website.
|
Travel
|
|
Customer completes transaction for
travel products on provider website or our website.
|
Cashback
|
|
Customer completes transaction for
retail, telecommunications, services and travel products with a
cashback incentive on merchant website. Customer receives confirmed
cashback incentive on our site.
|
Segment
|
Insurance
£m
|
Money
£m
|
Home
Services
£m
|
Travel
£m
|
Cashback
£m
|
Shared
costs
£m
|
Inter-vertical
eliminations**
£m
|
Total
£m
|
Period ended 30 June 2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
119.9
|
50.9
|
16.7
|
11.7
|
29.8
|
|
(5.5)
|
223.5
|
Directly attributable
expenses
|
(49.4)
|
(15.9)
|
(5.9)
|
(9.2)
|
(25.9)
|
(49.7)
|
5.5
|
(150.5)
|
EBITDA contribution
|
70.5
|
35.0
|
10.8
|
2.5
|
3.9
|
(49.7)
|
|
73.0
|
EBITDA contribution margin*
|
59%
|
69%
|
64%
|
22%
|
13%
|
|
|
33%
|
Depreciation and
amortisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(12.6)
|
Net finance expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2.3)
|
Profit before tax
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
58.1
|
Taxation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(14.0)
|
Profit for the period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
44.1
|
Segment
|
Insurance
£m
|
Money
£m
|
Home
Services
£m
|
Travel
£m
|
Cashback
£m
|
Shared
costs
£m
|
Inter-vertical
eliminations**
£m
|
Total
£m
|
Period ended 30 June 2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
|
105.6
|
51.9
|
18.7
|
11.6
|
29.0
|
-
|
(3.0)
|
213.8
|
Directly attributable
expenses
|
(45.3)
|
(16.9)
|
(6.2)
|
(8.2)
|
(24.0)
|
(48.5)
|
3.0
|
(146.1)
|
EBITDA contribution
|
60.3
|
35.0
|
12.5
|
3.4
|
5.0
|
(48.5)
|
-
|
67.7
|
EBITDA contribution margin*
|
57%
|
67%
|
67%
|
29%
|
17%
|
-
|
|
32%
|
Depreciation and
amortisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(12.0)
|
Net finance expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2.4)
|
Profit before tax
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
53.3
|
Taxation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(12.3)
|
Profit for the period
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41.0
|
*
EBITDA contribution margin is calculated by dividing EBITDA
contribution by revenue.
** The inter-vertical eliminations revenue line reflects
transactions where revenue in Cashback and Travel has also been
recorded as cost of sales in other verticals.
Insurance EBITDA contribution
margin increased from 57% to 59%, benefitting from mix into higher
margin channels and paid media cost discipline.
Money saw an increase in EBITDA
contribution margin from 67% to 69%, mixing into higher margin
brands and maintaining cost discipline.
Home Services EBITDA contribution
margin decreased from 67% to 64%, with growth in our lower margin
B2B business offset by tight control of operating costs.
Travel EBITDA contribution margin
declined from 29% to 22%, with a competitive market driving
increased marketing costs.
Margin for Cashback is
significantly lower than other verticals as a large proportion of
commission is paid out to members as cashback. EBITDA contribution
margin decreased from 17% to 13% reflecting accelerated investment
in marketing in the half to drive member growth
momentum.
Shared costs increased 2% with
cost control helping to mitigate the impact of inflation and
one-off costs in the half.
The Group recovers input VAT that
it incurs on expenditure using a partial exemption special method
which was agreed with HMRC in 2012. This is currently being
reviewed (as occurs periodically) to ensure that it still reflects
the way in which the Group incurs costs.
3. Net finance expense
|
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
|
|
|
|
Finance income
|
|
|
|
Bank deposits
|
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
|
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
Finance expense
|
|
|
|
Revolving credit
facility
|
|
1.0
|
0.5
|
Bank loan
|
|
0.9
|
1.3
|
Leases
|
|
0.4
|
0.5
|
Loan notes
|
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
|
|
2.4
|
2.4
|
Net finance expense
|
|
2.3
|
2.4
|
4. Taxation
The effective tax rate of 24.0% is
below the UK standard rate of 25.0%. This is primarily due to the
impact of temporary timing differences. For the six months ended 30
June 2023, the effective tax rate of 23.1% was below the UK
standard rate of 25.0%. This was driven by the change in tax rate
in April 2023, which resulted in a blended rate for the year of
23.5%. The effective tax rate was lower than this blended rate due
to an adjustment in respect of the prior period which reduced the
tax charge.
|
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
|
|
|
|
Current tax
|
|
|
|
Current tax on income for the
period
|
|
15.3
|
14.3
|
Adjustments in respect of prior
periods
|
|
-
|
(0.4)
|
|
|
15.3
|
13.9
|
Deferred tax
|
|
|
|
Origination and reversal of
temporary differences
|
|
(1.3)
|
(1.6)
|
|
|
(1.3)
|
(1.6)
|
|
|
14.0
|
12.3
|
5. Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share
Basic earnings per share is
calculated by dividing the profit or loss for the period
attributable to ordinary equity holders of the Company, by the
weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the
period. The Company's own shares held by employee trusts are
excluded when calculating the weighted average number of ordinary
shares outstanding.
Diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share is
calculated by dividing the profit or loss for the period
attributable to ordinary equity holders of the Company, by the
weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the
period plus the weighted average number of ordinary shares that
would be issued on the conversion of all dilutive potential
ordinary shares into ordinary shares.
Basic and diluted earnings per
share have been calculated on the following basis:
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
|
|
|
Profit after taxation attributable
to the owners of the Company
|
44.2
|
40.7
|
|
|
|
Basic weighted average ordinary
shares in issue (millions)
|
536.7
|
536.4
|
Dilutive effect of share-based
instruments (millions)
|
3.1
|
2.4
|
Diluted weighted average ordinary
shares in issue (millions)
|
539.8
|
538.8
|
Basic earnings per ordinary share
(pence)
|
8.3
|
7.6
|
Diluted earnings per ordinary
share (pence)
|
8.2
|
7.6
|
|
|
|
Adjusted basic and diluted
earnings per share are based on profit before tax after adding back
adjusting items. They have been calculated as follows:
|
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
|
|
|
Profit before tax
|
58.1
|
53.3
|
Adjusted for loss/(profit) before
tax attributable to non-controlling interest
|
0.0
|
(0.4)
|
Profit before tax attributable to
the owners of the Company
|
58.1
|
52.9
|
Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets
|
5.4
|
5.5
|
Amortisation of acquisition
related intangible assets attributable to non-controlling
interest
|
(0.4)
|
(0.4)
|
|
63.1
|
58.0
|
Estimated taxation at 25% (2023:
23.5%*)
|
(15.8)
|
(13.6)
|
Profit for adjusted EPS
purposes
|
47.3
|
44.4
|
Adjusted basic earnings per share
(pence)
|
8.8
|
8.3
|
Adjusted diluted earnings per
share (pence)
|
8.8
|
8.2
|
* For the period ended 30 June 2023, estimated taxation at
the blended rate of 23.5% is derived from the standard rate of
corporation tax increasing from 19% to 25% in April
2023.
6. Dividends
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
Equity dividends on ordinary
shares:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Final dividend for 2023: 8.90
pence per share (2022: 8.61 pence per share)
|
47.8
|
46.2
|
|
|
|
Proposed for approval (not
recognised as a liability as at 30 June):
|
|
|
Interim dividend for 2024: 3.3
pence per share (2023: 3.2 pence per share)
|
17.7
|
17.2
|
7. Intangible assets
|
Market
related
|
Member
relationship
|
Technology
related
|
Goodwill
|
Total
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
Cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2023
|
169.6
|
21.2
|
137.1
|
288.6
|
616.5
|
Additions
|
-
|
-
|
5.6
|
-
|
5.6
|
At 30 June 2023
|
169.6
|
21.2
|
142.7
|
288.6
|
622.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2023
|
153.3
|
2.5
|
106.5
|
74.3
|
336.6
|
Charge for the period
|
1.0
|
1.1
|
7.8
|
-
|
9.9
|
At 30 June 2023
|
154.3
|
3.6
|
114.3
|
74.3
|
346.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carrying
value
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2023
|
16.3
|
18.7
|
30.6
|
214.3
|
279.9
|
At 30 June 2023
|
15.3
|
17.6
|
28.4
|
214.3
|
275.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2024
|
169.6
|
21.2
|
121.3
|
288.6
|
600.7
|
Additions
|
-
|
-
|
5.4
|
-
|
5.4
|
Disposals
|
-
|
-
|
(36.1)
|
-
|
(36.1)
|
At 30 June 2024
|
169.6
|
21.2
|
90.6
|
288.6
|
570.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortisation
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2024
|
161.5
|
9.2
|
95.4
|
74.3
|
340.4
|
Charge for the period
|
1.4
|
2.1
|
6.8
|
-
|
10.3
|
Eliminated on disposal
|
-
|
-
|
(36.1)
|
-
|
(36.1)
|
At 30 June 2024
|
162.9
|
11.3
|
66.1
|
74.3
|
314.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carrying
value
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 1 January 2024
|
8.1
|
12.0
|
25.9
|
214.3
|
260.3
|
At 30 June 2024
|
6.7
|
9.9
|
24.5
|
214.3
|
255.4
|
Disposals in the period include
assets with a combined gross book value of £36.1m and carrying
value of £nil that were no longer in use and were therefore
retired. There was no impact on profit or loss arising from this.
There were no disposals in the comparative period.
Goodwill is allocated to each
vertical, or cash generating unit ('CGU'), as follows:
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
30 June
2023
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance
|
46.5
|
46.5
|
46.5
|
Money
|
33.2
|
33.2
|
33.2
|
Home Services
|
54.8
|
54.8
|
54.8
|
Travel
|
11.5
|
11.5
|
11.5
|
Cashback
|
68.3
|
68.3
|
68.3
|
|
214.3
|
214.3
|
214.3
|
The Group had significant balances
relating to goodwill as at 30 June 2024 as a result of acquisitions
of businesses in previous years. Goodwill balances are tested
annually for impairment or if events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may not be
recoverable.
In accordance with IAS 36 -
Impairment of Assets, the Group has considered whether there have
been any indicators of impairment during the six months ended 30
June 2024, which would require an impairment review to be
performed. No indicators have been identified and therefore no
impairment testing has been performed.
8. Borrowings
|
30 June
2024
|
31 December
2023
|
30 June
2023
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
Non-current
|
|
|
|
Loan
|
-
|
-
|
15.0
|
|
|
|
|
Current
|
|
|
|
Revolving credit
facility
|
33.0
|
4.5
|
28.0
|
Loan
|
15.0
|
30.0
|
20.0
|
|
48.0
|
34.5
|
48.0
|
9. Provisions
Provisions relate to the estimated
cost of restoring leased properties to their pre-lease condition at
the end of the lease term. On initial recognition, estimated
dilapidation costs are included in the cost of the right-of-use
asset within property, plant and equipment and are subsequently
depreciated over the lease term. There has been no change in the
carrying value of dilapidations provisions during the period. At 31
December 2023 and 30 June 2023, dilapidations liabilities of £1.9m
were presented within trade and other payables. During the period
they have been reclassified as provisions; however as the carrying
value is not material no prior period restatement has been
recognised.
10. Commitments and
contingencies
At 30 June 2024, the Group was
committed to incur future capital expenditure of £0.8m (2023:
£1.2m).
Comparable with most companies of
our size, the Group is a defendant in a small number of disputes
incidental to its operations and from time to time is under
regulatory scrutiny.
As a leading website operator, the
Group occasionally experiences operational issues as a result of
technological oversights that in some instances can lead to
customer detriment, dispute and potential cash outflows. The Group
has a professional indemnity insurance policy in order to mitigate
liabilities arising out of events such as this. The contingencies
outlined above are not expected to have a material adverse effect
on the Group.
11. Non-controlling interest
The Group recognises two
non-controlling interests, one in respect of Ice Travel Group
Limited and its two wholly owned subsidiaries Travelsupermarket
Limited and Icelolly Marketing Limited (together "Ice Travel
Group"), and secondly in respect of Podium Solutions
Limited.
The following table summarises the
financial performance and position of these companies at the period
end before any intra-group eliminations.
At 30 June 2024
|
|
Podium Solutions
Limited
|
Ice Travel
Group
|
Total
|
Non-controlling interest
|
|
48%
|
33%
|
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
Non-current assets*
|
|
1.6
|
13.9
|
15.5
|
Current assets
|
|
1.1
|
13.1
|
14.2
|
Non-current liabilities
|
|
(2.0)
|
(7.7)
|
(9.7)
|
Current liabilities
|
|
(1.9)
|
(1.1)
|
(3.0)
|
Net assets
|
|
(1.2)
|
18.2
|
17.0
|
Net assets attributable to non-controlling
interest
|
|
(0.6)
|
6.0
|
5.4
|
Revenue
|
|
0.5
|
11.1
|
11.6
|
(Loss)/Profit
|
|
(0.6)
|
0.5
|
(0.1)
|
Total comprehensive income
|
|
(0.6)
|
0.5
|
(0.1)
|
(Loss)/Profit attributable to the
non-controlling interest
|
|
(0.3)
|
0.2
|
(0.1)
|
Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling
interest
|
|
(0.3)
|
0.2
|
(0.1)
|
Cash flows from operating
activities
|
|
(0.1)
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
Cash flows from investing
activities
|
|
-
|
(0.4)
|
(0.4)
|
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
(0.1)
|
0.9
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
At 30 June 2023
|
|
Podium Solutions
Limited
|
Ice Travel
Group
|
Total
|
Non-controlling interest
|
|
48%
|
33%
|
|
|
|
£m
|
£m
|
£m
|
Non-current assets*
|
|
2.7
|
14.4
|
17.1
|
Current assets
|
|
0.3
|
10.9
|
11.2
|
Non-current liabilities
|
|
(1.9)
|
(5.3)
|
(7.2)
|
Current liabilities
|
|
(0.3)
|
(2.2)
|
(2.5)
|
Net assets
|
|
0.8
|
17.8
|
18.6
|
Net assets attributable to non-controlling
interest
|
|
0.4
|
5.9
|
6.3
|
Revenue
|
|
0.2
|
11.4
|
11.6
|
(Loss)/Profit
|
|
(0.8)
|
2.0
|
1.2
|
Total comprehensive income
|
|
(0.8)
|
2.0
|
1.2
|
(Loss)/Profit attributable to the
non-controlling interest
|
|
(0.4)
|
0.7
|
0.3
|
Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling
interest
|
|
(0.4)
|
0.7
|
0.3
|
Cash flows from operating
activities
|
|
0.0
|
0.6
|
0.6
|
Cash flows from investing
activities
|
|
(0.0)
|
(0.4)
|
(0.4)
|
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
0.0
|
0.2
|
0.2
|
* Non-current assets for Travelsupermarket
Limited include £7.4m of goodwill that was recognised on the
Group's balance sheet prior to the acquisition of
ITG.
Profit and total comprehensive
income for the period in respect of Podium Solutions Limited and
Ice Travel Group includes amortisation of intangibles relating to
the acquisition of these companies by the Group of £0.9m (2023:
£0.8m). Included in the profit and total comprehensive income
attributable to the non-controlling interest is £0.4m (2023: £0.4m)
of amortisation of acquired intangibles.
Appendix
Statutory Information
The financial information set out
above does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the
six months ended 30 June 2024 or 30 June 2023 but is derived from
those accounts. The auditor has reported on those accounts; their
reports were (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include a reference to
any 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.
The Annual General Meeting took
place on 2 May 2024. The interim dividend will be paid on 9
September 2024 to shareholders on the register at the close of
business on 2 August 2024.
Presentation of figures
Certain figures contained in this
announcement, including financial information, have been subject to
rounding adjustments. Accordingly, in certain instances, the sum or
percentage change of the numbers contained in this announcement may
not conform exactly with the total figure given.
Independent Review Report to
MONY Group plc
Conclusion
We have been engaged by MONY Group
plc ("the company") to review the condensed set of financial
statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months
ended 30 June 2024 which comprises the consolidated statement of
comprehensive income, consolidated statement of financial position,
consolidated statement of changes in equity, consolidated statement
of cash flows and the related explanatory notes.
Based on our review, nothing has
come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed
set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for
the six months ended 30 June 2024 is not prepared, in all material
respects, in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as
adopted for use in the UK and the Disclosure Guidance and
Transparency Rules ("the DTR") of the UK's Financial Conduct
Authority ("the UK FCA").
Basis for conclusion
We conducted our review in
accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK)
2410 Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the
Independent Auditor of the Entity ("ISRE (UK) 2410") issued for use
in the UK. A review of interim financial information consists of
making enquiries, primarily of persons responsible for financial
and accounting matters, and applying analytical and other review
procedures. We read the other information contained in the
half-yearly financial report and consider whether it contains any
apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the
information in the condensed set of financial
statements.
A review is substantially less in
scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International
Standards on Auditing (UK) and consequently does not enable us to
obtain assurance that we would become aware of all significant
matters that might be identified in an audit. Accordingly, we do
not express an audit opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
Based on our review procedures,
which are less extensive than those performed in an audit as
described in the Basis of conclusion section of this report,
nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that
the directors have inappropriately adopted the going concern basis
of accounting, or that the directors have identified material
uncertainties relating to going concern that have not been
appropriately disclosed.
This conclusion is based on the
review procedures performed in accordance with ISRE (UK) 2410.
However, future events or conditions may cause the Group to cease
to continue as a going concern, and the above conclusions are not a
guarantee that the Group will continue in operation.
Directors' responsibilities
The half-yearly financial report
is the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the directors.
The directors are responsible for preparing the half-yearly
financial report in accordance with the DTR of the UK
FCA.
The annual financial statements of
the Group are prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international
accounting standards.
The directors are responsible for
preparing the condensed set of financial statements included in the
half-yearly financial report in accordance with IAS 34 as adopted
for use in the UK.
In preparing the condensed set of
financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing
the Group's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as
applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going
concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to
liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or have no realistic
alternative but to do so.
Our responsibility
Our responsibility is to express
to the company a conclusion on the condensed set of financial
statements in the half-yearly financial report based on our review.
Our conclusion, including our conclusions relating to going
concern, are based on procedures that are less extensive than audit
procedures, as described in the Basis for conclusion section of
this report.
The purpose of our review work and to whom we owe our
responsibilities.
This report is made solely to the
company in accordance with the terms of our engagement to assist
the company in meeting the requirements of the DTR of the UK FCA.
Our review has been undertaken so that we might state to the
company those matters we are required to state to it in this report
and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law,
we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the
company for our review work, for this report, or for the
conclusions we have reached.
Jatin Patel
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP
Chartered Accountants
15 Canada Square
London
E14 5GL
19 July 2024