Spectris increases its 2016 full year dividend by 5%

DividendMax Ltd.

Spectris increases its 2016 full year dividend by 5%

Highlights

• 13% growth in reported sales; 1% sales growth at constant exchange rates; 2% LFL sales decline

• Adjusted operating margins broadly stable; strong operating cash conversion of 113%; dividend per share increase of 5%

• Reported profit includes a non-cash charge of £115 million relating to an impairment of goodwill and other intangibles at Omega Engineering and ESG Solutions, reducing EPS by 96.8 pence

• Good strategic progress in transition to customer-focused, solutions strategy

o Acquisition of Millbrook brings high quality test service platform, expanding our automotive offering

o Added further software, service and testing capability

o Merger of Malvern and PANalytical to deliver a more complete range to a broader set of markets
and customers

o Project Uplift further supports delivery of our strategy; expected to deliver £35 million of recurring savings at a cost of £45 million over the period to end 2019; net P&L charge of £14 million in 2017

Commenting, John O'Higgins, Chief Executive, said: "The year ended well with LFL sales growth in the final quarter following challenging trading conditions in the first three quarters. We continue to make good strategic progress as we transition our customer offering from the supply of products towards the provision of solutions encompassing hardware, software and services, responding to our customer's needs. As customers increasingly require an integrated solution, we are strategically positioning Spectris to align with their needs and this is transforming our business.

We added further software and service capability to the Group in the acquisitions made during the year, the most significant being Millbrook, a high quality automotive test services platform which enables us to expand our offering to automotive customers in conjunction with our existing products and software. We also took the decision to merge two of our larger operating companies, Malvern Instruments and PANalytical, enabling a more collaborative approach across the customers served by both companies.

We launched Project Uplift, a key enabler in the delivery of our strategy, aimed at reducing complexity, increasing efficiency and effectiveness and freeing up resources to stimulate growth.

End-market growth in the near-term is expected to be modest. However, the evolution now underway within Spectris is an exciting time for the business and will further enable and support delivery of our solutions strategy."

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