TOP NEWS: Flutter US arm shines; punter friendly results dent profit

(Alliance News) - Flutter Entertainment PLC shares fell on Thursday after its annual profit ...

Alliance News 2 March, 2023 | 9:32AM
Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

(Alliance News) - Flutter Entertainment PLC shares fell on Thursday after its annual profit slotted in at the lower end of guidance, amid "customer friendly" sports results in December, though the bookmaker's US arm continues to impress.

Flutter shares were 4.7% lower at 12,853.00 pence each in London on Thursday morning.

The Paddy Power and Sky Bet owner's revenue in 2022 jumped 27% to GBP7.69 billion from GBP6.04 billion. Its pretax loss narrowed slightly to GBP275 million from GBP288 million.

Flutter reported adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, excluding the US, of GBP1.30 billion, up 4.1% from GBP1.24 billion, but towards the lower end of a GBP1.29 billion and GBP1.39 billion forecast range.

Flutter said it suffered a roughly GBP40 million hit from "customer friendly sports results" in December.

US revenue, meanwhile, amounted to USD3.2 billion, at the top end of USD2.95 billion and USD3.2 billion guidance.

"We are also outpacing our competition with Flutter US revenue in 2022 over USD900 million higher than our next nearest competitor and with one third of the Ebitda loss. We were the first operator to reach profitability in the US in Q2. Additionally, in Q4, Flutter US Ebitda was GBP31 million (USD36 million), excluding new state investment in Maryland and Ohio. The increasingly profitable progression of our customer cohorts, together with the compounding benefit of our flywheel underpin our confidence in delivering a positive full year 2023 Ebitda," the company said.

In the US, Flutter owns a majority of the FanDuel sportsbook and fantasy sports platform.

Progress in the US is a stark contrast to an increasingly challenging environment in the UK.

"In our group ex-US business, we continued to see good growth while facing into the impact of regulatory changes. In the UK & Ireland, we delivered strong recreational customer growth as well as benefiting from the reopening of our retail estate and the acquisition of Tombola," Flutter said.

"In our International division, we have reached a growth inflection point. The business is set to annualise the major known regulatory headwinds in March 2023. The division is also on a more sustainable footing with minimal single unregulated market exposure, resulting in 97% of the group's total revenue now coming from regulated markets.

In the UK & Ireland arm, 2022 revenue rose 3.9% to GBP2.14 billion, while the international unit's revenue jumped 31% to GBP1.68 billion from GBP1.29 billion.

Turning to 2023, Flutter said trading during the first eight weeks of the year has been in line with expectations. It is targeting US Ebitda profit in 2023.

In the UK, meanwhile, focus will be on a planned government white paper on the gambling industry.

The eagerly-awaited plan by the UK government was recently delayed. The delay to the white paper meant gambling firms were allowed to sign new sponsorship deals with Premier League football clubs. Bookmakers sponsoring top-flight football outfits has been a contentious issue.

"In the UK, we believe the proactive initiatives we have taken on safer gambling position us well for the eventual publication of the gambling act review white paper," Flutter said.

In a sign that Flutter may be attempting to boost its reach to US investors, the company earlier in February said it is considering an additional US listing. FanDuel is set to become its largest business by revenue and a greater proportion of its value.

"We have begun a consultation with our shareholders to determine whether to put forward a formal resolution for approval. We will announce the results of this consultation, once we have concluded an extensive programme of engagement with our investors and stakeholders," Flutter said on Thursday.

By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Flutter Entertainment PLC 16,225.00 GBX 0.06 -
Flutter Entertainment PLC 143.50 -

About Author

Alliance News

Alliance News provides Morningstar with continuously updating coverage of news affecting listed companies.

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures