TOP NEWS: Entain earnings meet guidance but no dividend for now

(Alliance News) - Sports-betting and gaming firm Entain PLC on Thursday posted underlying ...

Alliance News 4 March, 2021 | 9:16AM
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(Alliance News) - Sports-betting and gaming firm Entain PLC on Thursday posted underlying earnings growth for 2020 in line with its expectations as it decided against a final payout for the year.

While 2020 was disrupted by Covid-19, forcing temporary closures in the Ladbrokes owner's retail estate and sports calendar interruptions in the second and third quarters, net gaming revenue was flat at GBP3.63 billion.

Revenue edged down to GBP3.56 billion from GBP3.58 billion in 2019, though the firm swung to a pretax profit of GBP174.7 million from a loss of GBP164.4 million. Entain booked just GBP175.9 million in separately disclosed items for 2020, down sharply from GBP700.8 million in 2019.

Before separately disclosed items, Entain's 2020 profit fell 35% to GBP350.6 million from GBP536.4 million.

Underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation rose 11% to GBP843.1 million. In January, Entain said it expected 2020 Ebitda in a range of GBP825 million to GBP845 million.

Shore Capital had expected Entain to report GBP3.64 billion in revenue, so the result fell short. The broker had expected GBP827 million in underlying Ebitda.

Given the ongoing uncertainty over the pandemic, the board said it is not "prudent" to pay a dividend at this time, though will consider payouts with future results. In 2019 Entain paid out 17.6 pence as an interim dividend.

"The group performed strongly through a difficult year reflecting both the diversified nature of our business model and the quality of our people. We have started the year with good momentum in line with expectations and we hope to see normality returning over the coming months. As a result we remain confident in our own financial performance and long-term prospects," said Entain.

Last year was full of interest for Entain. It fended off a takeover bid from its US joint-venture partner MGM Resorts International, changed chief executive, and even changed its name, from GVC Holdings.

"The strong underlying momentum within our business, the rapid growth of our US joint-venture, and our continuing international expansion mean that we are as confident as ever in the long-term prospects for Entain," said new CEO Jette Nygaard-Andersen.

Shares in Entain were down 2.1% at 1,428.50 pence in London on Thursday.

By Lucy Heming; lucyheming@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Entain PLC 811.60 GBX -0.88 -

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