Kindred Group plc - Year end report January - December 2018 (Unaudited)

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13 Feb, 2019, 07:03 GMT

LONDON SW QW, Sweden, Feb. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fourth quarter and full year highlights

Gross winnings revenue amounted to GBP 250.1 (238.0) million for the fourth quarter of 2018, and GBP 907.6 (751.4) million for the full year 2018.
Underlying EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2018 was GBP 58.8 (74.5) million, and GBP 203.7 (185.0) million for the full year 2018.
Profit before tax for the fourth quarter of 2018 amounted to GBP 45.0 (55.9) million, and GBP 149.5 (132.0) million for the full year 2018.
Profit after tax for the fourth quarter of 2018 amounted to GBP 39.3 (50.8) million and GBP 131.6 (117.4) million for the full year 2018.
Earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2018 were GBP 0.173 (0.223) and GBP 0.580 (0.516) for the full year 2018.
Number of active customers during the fourth quarter was 1,568,574 (1,329,124).
The Board of Directors propose a dividend of 0.496 (0.551) per share/SDR, which is approximately SEK 5.92 (6.48) per share/SDR and amounts to a proposed distribution to shareholders of GBP 112.5 (125.6) million which is 75 per cent of the Group's free cash flow for 2018. The dividend will be paid out in two equal instalments in order to facilitate a more efficient cash management.
AGM to be held on Tuesday 14 May 2019 in Stockholm.

"Strong levels of activity and all-time high in active customers resulted in all-time high for Gross winnings revenue"

"In the fourth quarter of 2018 we have seen strong levels of activity, together with an all-time high in active customers. This has resulted in record Gross winnings revenue, proving that our long-term strategy, to maintain a sustainable business by increasing the number of active customers rather than the ARPU, is paying off. Despite the exceptional sportsbook margin in the fourth quarter of 2017 making the comparatives for this quarter very tough, we have still managed to grow the business by 5 per cent."

"During the fourth quarter, Gross winnings revenue from mobile grew by 11 per cent compared to the fourth quarter last year and amounted to 74 per cent of our total Gross winnings revenue. Of the Group's Gross winnings revenue, 45 per cent came from locally regulated markets. For the full year 2018, betting duties increased by 40 per cent with an EBITDA margin of 22 per cent which shows the Group's ability to absorb betting duties through its focus on scalability and cost control."

"On 1 January, we successfully went live under the new local license in Sweden with five of our brands and we have also continued to lay the foundation for the USA early this year with the agreement in Pennsylvania. Always planning ahead, the Group prepared for the opening of the Swedish market and enlarged the customer base through bonus offers and marketing investments already from the start of the World Cup last summer. During the first six weeks of 2019, we awarded our Swedish customers with one additional bonus under the terms of the new licensing system, which resulted in new depositing customers up by 166 per cent and active customers up by 97 per cent over the last 90 days. As expected, we can now see the bonus expenditure tail off."

"For the period 1 January to 10 February 2019, the daily average Gross winnings revenue in GBP was 17 per cent higher (18 per cent in constant currency) than for the full first quarter last year." says Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Kindred Group.

Today, Wednesday 13 February 2019, Kindred Group's CEO Henrik Tjärnström will host a presentation in English at FinancialHearings, Tändstickspalatset, Västra Trädgårdsgatan 15, in Stockholm at 9.00 CET.

The presentation is also webcast live on www.kindredgroup.com/Q42018. For those who would like to participate in the telephone conference in connection with the presentation, the telephone numbers are UK: +44 3333 009 269 or USA: +1 646 722 4956.

The Kindred Group companies hold local gambling licences in UK, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Germany (Schleswig-Holstein), Italy, Australia, Ireland, Romania and Estonia. The Kindred Group also holds international gambling licences in Malta and Gibraltar. The Kindred Group pays betting duties in all markets in accordance with applicable local laws.