Sage Group (SGE)

Sector:

IT Services

Index:

FTSE 100

1,259.50p
   
  • Change Today:
    -4.00p
  • 52 Week High: 1,282.00
  • 52 Week Low: 748.60
  • Currency: UK Pounds
  • Shares Issued: 1,006.54m
  • Volume: 177,795
  • Market Cap: £12,677m
  • RiskGrade: 136

Sage turns in strong third quarter performance

By Josh White

Date: Thursday 29 Jul 2021

LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Software company Sage said on Thursday that it had performed "strongly" in the first nine months of the year, as momentum continued to strengthen.
The FTSE 100 firm said recurring revenue increased 5% year-on-year to £1,220m for the three quarters to 30 June, supported by software subscription growth of 11% to £920m.

As a result, subscription penetration increased to 69%, from 64% at the same time last year.

Regionally, Sage said North America achieved recurring revenue growth of 7% to £475m, which it put down to a "good performance" from Sage Intacct, with continued strength in new customer acquisition.

In Northern Europe, recurring revenue increased 4% to £292m, driven by accelerating growth in cloud native solutions including Sage Accounting, together with further growth in Sage 50 cloud connected.

It said that in its International geography, recurring revenue grew 4% to £454m, with "particular strength" in cloud-connected products, together with growth in cloud native solutions.

In terms of the portfolio view of revenue, the company said the 'Future Sage Business Cloud Opportunity', which includes all products within, or to be migrated to, the Sage Business Cloud, increased 7% to £1.1bn.

That was underpinned by "strong growth" in cloud native recurring revenue of 32% to £205m, primarily through new customer acquisition, and supported by migrations to both cloud-native and cloud-connected solutions.

Sage Business Cloud penetration increased to 66%, from 60% a year ago.

In the third quarter, recurring revenue grew by 6.1% to £409m, which Sage said was mainly driven by an acceleration in the growth of cloud-native revenue, up 37% to £74m, together with continued growth in cloud-connected.

That growth was strengthened by the group's programme of additional strategic investment in sales, marketing and innovation.

Other revenue, from SSRS and processing, decreased 18% to £109m in the first nine months of the year, and by 9% to £31m in the third quarter, in line with the company's strategy to transition away from licence sales and low-margin professional services implementations.

Total group revenue was 2.6% firmer year-on-year at £1.33bn for the first nine months of the year, and by 5.0% to £440m in the third quarter specifically.

Group net debt totalled £160m as at 30 June, widening from £96m on 31 March, with cash and available liquidity standing at £1.3bn.

Looking ahead, Sage said that following a "strong" third quarter performance, it now expected full-year recurring revenue growth to be "slightly above" its previous guidance range of 3% to 5%.

The group's guidance across other metrics remained unchanged.

"The performance of the group in the first nine months of the year demonstrates continued delivery against our strategy," said chief financial officer Jonathan Howell.

"Sage's growth is accelerating, driven by increasing demand for Sage Business Cloud solutions, particularly in cloud native, as we support customers in their digital transformation.

"Through our additional strategic investment, we are building strong foundations to drive further sustainable growth and support the long-term success of the group."

At 0826 BST, shares in the Sage Group were down 0.59% at 693.08p.

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Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Note 2: RiskGrade figures are provided by RiskMetrics.

 

Sage Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 1,259.50p
Change Today -4.00p
% Change -0.32 %
52 Week High 1,282.00
52 Week Low 748.60
Volume 177,795
Shares Issued 1,006.54m
Market Cap £12,677m
RiskGrade 136

Sage Star Ratings

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
more star ratings
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
99.47% below the market average99.47% below the market average99.47% below the market average99.47% below the market average99.47% below the market average
97.62% below the sector average97.62% below the sector average97.62% below the sector average97.62% below the sector average97.62% below the sector average
Price Trend
94.51% above the market average94.51% above the market average94.51% above the market average94.51% above the market average94.51% above the market average
89.36% above the sector average89.36% above the sector average89.36% above the sector average89.36% above the sector average89.36% above the sector average
Income
98.48% below the market average98.48% below the market average98.48% below the market average98.48% below the market average98.48% below the market average
71.43% below the sector average71.43% below the sector average71.43% below the sector average71.43% below the sector average71.43% below the sector average
Growth
53.62% below the market average53.62% below the market average53.62% below the market average53.62% below the market average53.62% below the market average
70.45% below the sector average70.45% below the sector average70.45% below the sector average70.45% below the sector average70.45% below the sector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 3
Buy 5
Neutral 7
Sell 3
Strong Sell 2
Total 20
neutral
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

Sage Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Final Interim
Ex-Div 11-Jan-24 01-Jun-23
Paid 09-Feb-24 23-Jun-23
Amount 12.75p 6.55p

Trades for 28-Mar-2024

Time Volume / Share Price
11:45 500 @ 1,259.25p
11:44 158 @ 1,259.50p
11:44 382 @ 1,259.50p
11:44 315 @ 1,259.50p
11:44 63 @ 1,259.50p

Sage Key Personnel

CFO Jonathan Howell
CEO Steve Hare
Chair Andrew Duff

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