LONDON (ShareCast) - (ShareCast News) - Legal services-focussed UK consumer marketing business NAHL Group announced its final results for the year ended 31 December on Tuesday, with underlying revenue declining 2.6% year-on-year to £49.4m.
The AIM-traded company said underlying operating profit was up 15.1% to £18.0m, as its underlying operating profit margin increased by 5.6 percentage points to 36.4%.

Profit before tax improved 13.3% to £15.8m.

The firm reported cash generation of 79.7%, down from 97.4% in 2015, with an adjusted net debt of £8.2m at year end, compared to £8.3m at the end of the prior year.

Basic earnings per share stood at 27.0p for the year, compared to 25.6p in 2015.

The board recommended a final dividend of 12.7p, increasing the total dividend for the year by 1.6% to 19.05p.

"2016 saw the group make continued progress as a diversified business, with all three of our operating divisions contributing meaningfully to a solid full year performance," said NAHL Group CEO Russell Atkinson.

"Our critical care division benefited from the investment made in the business development function and management team, growing its market share.

"Against a challenging market backdrop, the residential property business also saw revenue and profits grow thanks to its broadened service offering."

Atkinson noted that, in a more challenging year for its personal injury division, the company delivered a "resilient" trading performance.

"As part of the group's long term planning since the Government's consultation was first announced in 2015, we took the strategic decision to invest in a proportion of our enquiries through different commercial and structural arrangements.

"We have a clear strategy in place to develop our business model while our proven track record of responding to regulatory change and underlying brand strength leaves the PI division well positioned to succeed in the new landscape," he explained.

"We have started 2017 on plan and believe that our continued evolution into aligned legal services areas, strong balance sheet and management experience will enable the group to navigate the future with confidence."

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