Nichols (NICL)

Sector:

Beverages

Index:

FTSE AIM 50

968.00p
   
  • Change Today:
      2.00p
  • 52 Week High: 1,200.00
  • 52 Week Low: 882.00
  • Currency: UK Pounds
  • Shares Issued: 36.97m
  • Volume: 34,272
  • Market Cap: £357.86m
  • RiskGrade: 263

Strength in Vimto brand underpins first half for Nichols

By Josh White

Date: Wednesday 21 Jul 2021

LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Soft drinks maker Nichols reported a 13.8% improvement in group revenue in its first half on Wednesday, to £67.4m.
The AIM-traded company said its adjusted operating profit was ahead 32.9% year-on-year in the six months ended 30 June at £9m, while its adjusted profit before tax grew by 31.6% to £8.9m.

Its adjusted profit before tax margin was 13.2% for the period, up 1.7 percentage points over a year earlier, while its EBITDA totalled £11.2m, 20.4% higher than the first half of 2020.

Basic adjusted earnings per share were up 30.7% at 19.52p, and at period end, the company had cash and cash equivalents of £47.4m, 0.2% higher than at the same time last year.

On the operational front, Nichols said the brand value of Vimto in the UK was up 2.7% for the year-to-date, with Vimto dilutes "significantly outperforming" the market.

UK revenue was up 5.5%, with out-of-home revenues broadly in line with the prior year, following an "encouraging" second quarter performance.

Vimto international growth, meanwhile, was 42.3% over the prior year, with the brand's in-market Middle East volumes resilient through Ramadan, and full-year in-market volumes expected to remain in line with pre-sweetened beverage tax levels.

In Africa, Vimto delivered "strong" revenue growth of 22.8%, while the brand continued to progress across the rest of the world, delivering revenue growth of 49.3%.

Nichols said it was continuing to invest in UK operational change, in order to ensure continued agility and growth given future prospects.

It reported cash and cash equivalents of £47.4m at period end, in line with the £47.3m it had at the end of December, as the board declared an interim dividend of 9.8p.

The company left its financial guidance unchanged for 2021.

"The continued strong performance of the Vimto brand, the group's robust balance sheet and our diversified business model has ensured a resilient financial performance in the period with growth across each of our reporting segments," said non-executive chairman John Nichols.

"The UK government's planned roadmap out of lockdown continues and although at a more cautious pace than originally planned, the group's positive start to the year means that we remain confident that it will achieve the board's expectations for the year.

"Longer term, the board is currently assessing the impact of inflationary pressures affecting logistics, labour, plastics and costs associated with increasing environmental legislation."

At 0924 BST, shares in Nichols were up 3.66% at 1,492.75p.

Email this article to a friend

or share it with one of these popular networks:


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.

 

Nichols Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 968.00p
Change Today 2.00p
% Change 0.21 %
52 Week High 1,200.00
52 Week Low 882.00
Volume 34,272
Shares Issued 36.97m
Market Cap £357.86m
RiskGrade 263

Nichols Star Ratings

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
more star ratings
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
93.52% below the market average93.52% below the market average93.52% below the market average93.52% below the market average93.52% below the market average
77.78% below the sector average77.78% below the sector average77.78% below the sector average77.78% below the sector average77.78% below the sector average
Price Trend
28.57% below the market average28.57% below the market average28.57% below the market average28.57% below the market average28.57% below the market average
40% below the sector average40% below the sector average40% below the sector average40% below the sector average40% below the sector average
Income
18.54% below the market average18.54% below the market average18.54% below the market average18.54% below the market average18.54% below the market average
33.33% above the sector average33.33% above the sector average33.33% above the sector average33.33% above the sector average33.33% above the sector average
Growth
14.81% above the market average14.81% above the market average14.81% above the market average14.81% above the market average14.81% above the market average
Sector averageSector averageSector averageSector averageSector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 0
Buy 3
Neutral 3
Sell 0
Strong Sell 0
Total 6
buy
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

Nichols Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Final Interim
Ex-Div 21-Mar-24 03-Aug-23
Paid 02-May-24 08-Sep-23
Amount 15.60p 12.60p

Trades for 28-Mar-2024

Time Volume / Share Price
16:44 9,822 @ 966.73p
16:35 2,649 @ 968.00p
16:35 456 @ 968.00p
16:35 24 @ 968.00p
16:35 103 @ 968.00p

Nichols Key Personnel

CEO Andrew Milne

Top of Page