Reed Elsevier increases 2013 full year dividend by 7%

DividendMax Ltd.

Reed Elsevier increases 2013 full year dividend by 7%

REED ELSEVIER FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Reed Elsevier continued to make good progress against its strategic and financial priorities in 2013.

Revenue of £6,035m/€7,121m; underlying growth +2% (+3% excluding biennial exhibition cycling): The overall underlying growth rate of +3% reflects +5 to +7% growth in electronic and face-to-face revenues, which now account for 81% of the total (2012: 79%), partially offset by continuing print revenue declines.

Adjusted operating profit £1,749m/€2,064m; underlying growth +5%: Underlying operating profit growth across Reed Elsevier reflects a combination of process innovation and portfolio development. Reported operating profit, after amortisation of acquired intangible assets, was up +3% to £1,376m/down -1% to €1,624m.

Return on invested capital 12.1%, up by 0.4%pts on 2012: The ROIC increase was driven by the increase in adjusted operating profit.

Interest and tax: Adjusted net interest expense was £39m lower at £177m (€56m lower at €209m) reflecting the benefits of term debt refinancing initiatives over the last 18 months. The adjusted effective tax rate was unchanged at 23.5%.

Adjusted EPS up +9% to 54.0p for Reed Elsevier PLC; up +5% to €0.99 for Reed Elsevier NV; constant currency growth +7%: Reported EPS growth was +9% to 48.8p for Reed Elsevier PLC, +5% to €0.91 for Reed Elsevier NV.

Equalised full year dividend up +7% to 24.60p for Reed Elsevier PLC; up +8% to €0.506 for Reed Elsevier NV: The proposed average full year dividend growth rate is in line with adjusted EPS growth at constant currency rates. The proposed final dividend for Reed Elsevier PLC is up +6% to 17.95p following an +11% increase in the interim dividend. The proposed final dividend for Reed Elsevier NV is up +11% to €0.374, following a +2% increase in the interim dividend. The difference in interim and final dividend growth rates reflects exchange rate movements between the declaration dates. The Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV full year dividends are covered 2.2x and 2.0x by adjusted EPS respectively.

Net debt / EBITDA 2.1x on a pensions and lease adjusted basis (unadjusted 1.6x): Net debt was £3.1bn/€3.7bn on 31 December 2013. Capital expenditure remained at 5% of revenues. The adjusted operating cash flow conversion rate was 97%.

Organic development: In 2013 we continued to develop our global technology platforms across the business, launch new products and services in both existing and adjacent market segments, and extend our reach in high growth markets and geographies.

Acquisitions & disposals: In 2013 we completed 20 small acquisitions of content and data assets across all market segments for a total consideration of £230m. We also completed the disposal of 26 assets that no longer fit our strategy, for a total consideration of £331m.

Share buybacks: In 2013 we deployed £600m on share buybacks. In 2014, although we currently expect disposal proceeds to be lower, we again intend to deploy a total of £600m on share buybacks, based on our strong balance sheet and cash flow. £100m of this year's total has already been completed.

2014 OUTLOOK

Early trends across our business in 2014 remain broadly consistent with full year 2013, with some small variations by market and geography. We are confident that, by continuing to execute on our strategy of delivering improved outcomes to our professional customers, primarily through organic investment, we will deliver another year of underlying revenue, profit, and earnings growth in 2014.

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