The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information pursuant to Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended.

 

28 September 2022

 

Skillcast Group PLC

("Skillcast", the "Group" or the "Company")

 

Results for the six months ended 30 June 2022

 

Skillcast (AIM: SKL), the provider of content and technology for digital compliance transformation, is pleased to announce its unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2022.

 

 Highlights

 

		6 months to 30 June 2022 (unaudited)  (H1 22)	6 months to 30 June 2021 (unaudited) (H1 21)	12 Months to 31 December 2021 (audited)	Change (H1 22 v H1 21)
Revenue		£4.5m	£3.7m	£8.4m	+20%
Gross margin (%)		69.8%	69.1%	70.5%	+0.7pps
Annualised recurring revenue (ARR)*		£6.3m	£5.0m	£5.8m	+26%
Adjusted EBITDA*		-£0.2m	+£0.6m	£1.2m	n/a
Basic (loss)/EPS (pence)		-0.16p	+0.28p	+0.47p	n/a
Dividend per share (pence)		0.168p	0.188p	0.447p
Cash in bank		£7.5m	£4.6m	£7.9m	+61%
(Cash burn) / Free cash flow		-£0.3m	+£1.3m	+£1.3m	n/a

 

·    Revenue growth of 20% (H1 21: 4%) driven by 33% increase in subscription revenues predominantly from new customers

·    ARR* increased 26% to £6.3m in the 12 months to June 2022 (June 21: £5.0m)

·    Adjusted EBITDA* of -£0.2m as IPO proceeds start to be invested with average headcount increasing 32% over the past 12 months to 95 (June 21: 72)

·    Interim dividend declared of £150,000, in line with last year as per our stated policy.  This represents 0.168 pence per share (H1 21: 0.188 pence per share)

·    Cash in bank up at £7.5m at 30 June 2022 following £3.5m IPO proceeds (30 June 2021: £4.6m)

·    Cash burn of £0.3m in H1 22 due in part to planned headcount investments for future growth.

 

Current trading and outlook

 

Trading since the period end has continued to increase on the prior year. In response to rising inflation that is impacting all businesses, we have implemented a 10% price increase from 1 June.  This has been implemented for new business immediately and for subscription renewals will feed in progressively from 1 January 2023. 

The strong growth in revenue that we achieved in the first half of the year was partly due to the significant increase in ARR that we signed in the latter part of last year.  Despite the challenging market conditions that currently exist we have continued to grow ARR during the first half of this year, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our proposition in the non-discretionary corporate compliance and e-learning market.  We expect this trend to continue and remain confident in achieving full year expectations.

 

Vivek Dodd, Chief Executive Officer of Skillcast, said:

 

"Skillcast enables companies to digitise and consolidate their compliance processes, thereby reducing costs, improving their employee experience and helping build more ethical, inclusive and resilient workplaces. With companies facing inflationary pressures as well as regulatory demands, the need for this compliance transformation is greater than ever.

 

"We are pleased with the 33% growth in our subscription revenue over H1 21, which raised the total revenue growth to 20% and meant that subscription revenue as a proportion of total revenue increased to 70% (H1 21: 63%).

 

"Since our IPO in December 2021, we have made substantial improvements to our content and technology products and have maintained our 4.9/5.0 customer service rating. We have successfully attracted and retained top talent in key roles.

 

"Trading in the second half of the year has started in line with our expectations, and the pipeline of new prospective customers is strong. Although the macroeconomic outlook in the UK and the EU remains uncertain, we continue to see opportunities to grow by offering cost-saving, risk-reducing compliance solutions."

 

 

 

*Further details on the calculation of adjusted EBITDA and ARR are set out in the Financial Review below

 

Enquiries:

 

Skillcast Group plc	+44 (0)20 7929 5000
Richard Amos, Chairman Vivek Dodd, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Steele, Chief Financial Officer
Allenby Capital Limited (Nominated Adviser & Broker)	+44 (0)20 3328 5656
James Reeve, Piers Shimwell (Corporate Finance)
Jos Pinnington, Tony Quirke (Sales and broking)

 

Strategic and operational progress

Skillcast operates in a $10 billion market for governance, risk and compliance software. Corporate compliance is undergoing a structural shift as companies digitise staff training and other compliance processes. Skillcast is helping companies of all sizes and business sectors to digitise and consolidate their workflows. Our Skillcast Portal streamlines their user and administrator experience and consolidates all their data in one place, thereby reducing the risk of violations whilst reducing their costs.

Our subscription products include course libraries, a learning management system, a policy hub, staff declarations and surveys, online compliance registers, a register for recording offline activities and continuing professional development ("CPD"). Our products integrate with several third-party HR software, digital identity platforms and collaboration apps. Unlike many of our competitors, our courses and technology are highly customisable, and we were proud to receive the platinum award for customer service from Feefo for the third year in a row in 2022.

Our strategy is to grow our recurring subscription-based revenues through a focus on supporting existing clients and acquiring similar new customers. We are very pleased with the progress we have made by growing subscription revenues by 33% in H1 22 compared to the same period in FY2021 and that ARR* at 30 June 2022 is 26% higher than at 30 June 2021. A significant part of the growth in ARR was generated in H2 21 which was in part responsible for the growth in subscription revenue in the first half this year. In the six month period to 30 June 2022, ARR grew 8% on the level at 31 December 2021. The growth in ARR over the last six months came from a combination of new client wins in H1 22 growing our active, revenue generating client base to 841 (30 June 2021: 601; 31 December 2021: 790), coupled with upsells to existing clients from both more active users and new products. An example of this is our SMCR 360 product, launched in 2021 which helps financial firms manage all aspects of compliance with the Senior Managers and Certification Regime ("SM&CR"), and which contributed its first meaningful revenues in H1 22.

Our second revenue stream is providing professional services to develop bespoke e-learning compliance courses. Our strategy is to maintain our revenues and important client relationships, and we achieved this in H1 22 with revenues of £1.4 million (H1 21: £1.4 million).

We are using the proceeds of our IPO to invest in growth. In H1 22, the average number of employees was 95, up 32% (H1 21: 72) despite the well documented talent acquisition and retention challenges in the technology sector. The largest area of headcount growth was in our sales and marketing team, which grew by 47%, primarily due to increases in the subscription sales team. Marketing activity increased with the introduction of our webinar series, as well as live, in-person events for compliance leaders that are proving hugely popular post-COVID.

We have increased the investment in both the content and technology of our products and have made good progress in H1 22 in migrating the platforms our clients use to access our products. We expect all clients to have migrated by the end of 2022.

Richard Steele joined the Group as its first full time CFO in May 2022 replacing Chris Backhouse. Following the IPO in December 2021, the Board recognised both the need and opportunity to invest further in the finance function. Richard has over 30 years experience in commercial finance roles. The Board wish to thank Chris Backhouse for his support over the past four years and in particular during the IPO process.

ESG is at the core of what we offer and stand for. Our products help our clients build a culture of respect, inclusivity, integrity and compliance with laws, regulations and standards. We also help them reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by digitising many activities that previously required travel. We have substantially reduced our carbon footprint due to travel, by moving to a hybrid working model and the use of virtual meetings and webinars in our sales and marketing.

Current Trading and Outlook

Trading since the period end has continued to increase on the prior year. In response to rising inflation that is impacting all businesses, we have implemented a 10% price increase from 1 June.  This has been implemented for new business immediately and for subscription renewals will feed in progressively from 1 January 2023. 

The strong growth in revenue that we achieved in the first half of the year was partly due to the significant increase in ARR that we signed in the latter part of last year.  Despite the challenging market conditions that currently exist we have continued to grow ARR during the first half of this year, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our proposition in the non-discretionary corporate compliance and e-learning market.  We expect this trend to continue and remain confident in achieving full year expectations.

 

Financial Review

Revenue

Total revenues of £4.5 million were 20% up on the comparable period last year (H1 21: £3.7 million), driven by software-as-a-service ("SaaS") subscription revenues. Subscription revenues typically accrue from 12 month contracts, invoiced up front, for our library of compliance e-learning courses and associated compliance products. During H1 22, subscription revenue growth helped grow the proportion of revenues from subscriptions to 70% (H1 21: 63%) of total revenues. Total revenues from non-financial service sectors grew 28% on the comparable period last year to account for 44% of total revenues (H1 21: 41%). Total revenue-generating clients in H1 22 increased by 40% to 841 (H1 21: 601). The top 10 clients accounted for 25% of revenues in the period (H1 21: 33%).

Subscription ("SaaS") revenues grew 33% to £3.1 million (H1 21: £2.4 million).  The growth in subscription revenues was driven by a combination of new clients and product upsells/more users. In H1 22, 84% (H1 21: 88%) of subscription revenues were derived from our core e-learning libraries and Learning Management System ("LMS"), which grew 27% on the year. We were encouraged to see a higher, 75% growth in the balance of our subscription revenues from our compliance products, increasing their mix of subscription revenues to 16% (H1 22: 12%).  For example, revenues from our Policy Hub product increased by 109% on the prior year.

Annual recurring revenue ("ARR"), our key performance indicator to measure subscription sales progress, grew by 26% to £6.3 million over the past 12 months (June 2021: £5.0 million) and by 8% since the start of the year (December 2021: £5.8 million). New sales lifted ARR by 13% from December 21, offset by a net retention rate of 95%, which included 7% churn.

Revenue from professional services was £1.4m, which was 1% below the same period last year, in line with our strategy to maintain these lower margin revenues at consistent absolute levels.

Gross profit

Gross profit margin increased by 1% to 70% in H1 22 (H1 21: 69%) as a result of the higher mix of subscription revenues which, with no bespoke work, yield typically higher margins.

Investing for growth

Adjusted overheads (which exclude IPO-related costs in the prior year of £173k) grew by £1.3 million to £3.4 million (H1 21: £2.1 million) in the period as the Group invested to drive growth as intended. The majority of this investment was in people. In H1 22 total employment costs, increased by £1.1 million or 43% to £3.5 million (H1 21: £2.4 million), and the average headcount increased 32% to 95 (H1 21: 72).  The biggest area of growth was in the sales and marketing function with an average of 8 more heads during the period.

EBITDA

As anticipated, and due to the increased investment, the Group delivered an adjusted loss in EBITDA of £0.2 million in H1 22 (H1 21: +£0.6 million).  This profit performance reflects the intended investment programme, which is supported by the fundraise in December 2021.

Tax

The Group reported a loss before tax of £285,000 in the period and consequently was not liable for any corporation tax in either its UK or Malta jurisdictions.

The Group had unutilised tax losses carried forward of approximately £0.7 million as of 31 December 2021 (2020: £0.6 million) due predominantly to research and development credits. It is expected these will increase in 2022 through trading losses and further research and development claim.  Given the varying degrees of uncertainty as to the timescale of the utilisation of these losses, the Group has not recognised the potential deferred tax assets associated with these losses.

In Malta, a withholding tax rebate of £139,983, due to Inmarkets Group Ltd with regards to dividends declared by Inmarket International Ltd for 2021, is reflected as a tax credit in H1 22.  

EPS

Following the share issue in December 2021 at the time of the IPO, no ordinary shares were issued in H1 22, and the basic loss per share was -0.162 pence on 89.5m shares. (H1 21: earnings per share +0.280 pence).  Adjusted diluted loss per share was -0.162 pence (H1 21: earnings per share +0.497 pence)

Dividend

With a business that is backed by recurring revenues that provide strong cash generation, the Board is committed to paying dividends. The Board, therefore, declared an interim dividend of £150,000 consistent with the previous year, or 0.168 pence per issued ordinary share. The interim dividend will be paid on 28 October 2022 to shareholders on the register on 7 October 2022.

It is the Board's stated policy to maintain the total aggregate annual dividend at least at £400,000, consistent with previous years, for the foreseeable future.

Balance sheet and cash flow

Net assets at 30 June 2022 were £7.2 million, in line with 31 December 2021 and £3.5 million higher than 30 June 3021 due primarily to the IPO proceeds received in December 2021.

There was a small operating cash burn in H1 22 of £0.3 million compared to a cash generation of £1.3 million in H1 21 due primarily to the reduction in profits.  This cash burn which is relatively small in comparison to the cash resources of the Group was planned as part of the growth strategy and was due in part to the investment programme we are undertaking. The Group had £7.5m cash at bank at 30 June 2022 (30 June 2021: £4.6m) and has no bank debt.

The Group does not capitalise any intellectual property on either the content or technology of its products. It has two right-of-use assets of £0.5 million at 30 June 2022, representing its leased offices in London and Malta.

Net trade receivables at 30 June 2022 of £2.5 million were £0.7 million or 41% higher than 30 June 2021. Other receivables of £1.5 million include a £1.0 million Maltese withholding tax rebate. Trade payables of £1.1 million at 30 June 2022 were in line with the previous year. Deferred income of £3.4 million at 30 June 2022 was £1.2 million or 54% higher than 30 June 2021 due to a combination of new/renewed SaaS contracts and incomplete professional services projects.

Alternative Performance Measures

*Adjusted EBITDA

The Group elected to adjust its EBITDA from continuing operations for non-recurring costs in connection with its IPO in December 2021. It also elected to adjust EBITDA by reversing the IFRS treatment of depreciation of property leases and the share-based payment charges. The Group now accepts these are both recurring items and no longer elects to adjust for them.

	H1 22	H1 21	2021	2021
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
	Unaudited	Unaudited	Re-stated	Audited
EBITDA from continuing operations	(165)	380	360	360
IPO costs	0	173	876	876
Reversal of IFRS treatment of depreciation of property lease				(198)
Share-based payment				17
Adjusted EBITDA	(165)	553	1,237	1,056

 

*Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

ARR is also used to assess the performance and the trend of subscription revenue. ARR is calculated by multiplying the Monthly Recurring Revenue ("MRR") by twelve. MRR is defined as the subscription revenue that was recognised in a month, excluding any retrospective upward adjustments that arise at the end of the contract where there have been more subscribers than a client originally contracted for, less any contract losses (Churn), or downward adjustments arising on contract renewal. The Directors consider that the ARR, derived from software-as-a-service (SaaS) sales, is a key measure of the performance of the business. The ARR increased 26% to £6.3 million on the year (June 21: £5.0 million) and 8% since December 2021 (£5.8 million).