RESULTS FOR THE HALF YEAR (HY) ENDED 30 JUNE 2024

8 August 2024

MORGAN SINDALL GROUP PLC

('Morgan Sindall' or 'Group')

The Partnerships, Fit Out and Construction Services Group

RESULTS FOR THE HALF YEAR (HY) ENDED 30 JUNE 2024

Record first half performance, full year now expected to be slightly ahead of our previous expectations

¹ 'Adjusted' is defined as before intangible amortisation of £0.3m and exceptional building safety credit of £0.3m.  (HY 2023: before intangible amortisation of £2.2m and exceptional building safety credit of £0.4m)

Strong first half performance reinforcing the significant strategic and operational progress being made across the Group

o  Revenue up 14% to £2.2bn

o  Adjusted profit before tax up 17% to £70.1m

Continued balance sheet strength

o  Net cash of £351m (HY 2023: £263m)

o  Average daily net cash of £372m (HY 2023: £268m)

High quality total future workload

o  Order book of £8.7bn (FY 2023: £8.9bn)  

Interim dividend up 15% to 41.5p per share (HY 2023: 36.0p)

Divisional highlights

o  Fit Out delivering significant growth compared to the prior year on the back of increased revenues; operating profit up 36% to £41.3m (HY 2023: £30.4m) with an operating margin of 6.6% (HY 2023: 6.1%).

o  Construction delivering good revenue growth with margin within its medium-term target range; revenue up 10% to £519m (HY 2023: £470m) at an operating margin of 2.7%. Operating profit up 18% to £14.1m (HY 2023: £12.0m).

o  Strong performance from Infrastructure; revenue up 24% to £530m (HY 2023: £428m) at an operating margin of 3.7% (HY 2023: 3.7%). Operating profit up 24% to £19.7m (HY 2023: £15.9m).

o  The remediation programme continues to progress really well in Property Services, our smallest division. Early release from a small number of contracts led to first half operating losses of £11.0m (HY 2023: operating loss £4.1m). With the operating losses strongly weighted to the first half, the remediation plan is on track to be completed by the end of 2024 to leave the business positioned to return to profit in 2025.

o  Partnership Housing has benefited from a modest improvement in the housing market since the start of the year, reflected through an increase in the level of open market sales activity in Mixed‐tenure, while Contracting has continued to show good growth. Revenues up 2% to £381m (HY 2023: £373m) while operating profits are 16% higher at £11.7m (HY 2023: £10.1m).  The average capital employed for the full year is estimated at c£330m, as the business continues to invest in its partnerships for future growth.

o  Mobilising existing long-term schemes to site for Mixed Use Partnerships has been slower in the first half of 2024 compared to prior years, resulting in a modest operating profit of £0.5m (HY 2023: £6.0m). Despite this hiatus we are in three preferred bidder positions in our newly formed Midlands region.

Commenting on today's results, Chief Executive, John Morgan said:

"We've delivered another record set of results in the first half, once again reflecting the high quality of our operations, with revenue, adjusted profit before tax and the interim dividend all showing strong mid to high double-digit growth in the period.

The challenging market conditions that we experienced in 2023 are easing, as we continue to make significant strategic and operational progress across the Group and remain well positioned to support the Government's affordable home and social infrastructure plans. Our balance sheet, supported by a substantial average daily cash position, has enabled us to focus on making the right decisions to drive for long-term sustainable growth while also supporting the returns to shareholders in the period.

Following our strong trading performance in the first half, combined with the high-quality secured order book and visibility for the rest of the year, we now expect to deliver a result for the full year which is slightly ahead of our previous expectations."

Presentation

·  There will be an analyst and investor presentation at 09.00am at Deutsche Numis, 45 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7BF on 8 August 2024.  Coffee and registration will be from 08.30am

·    A copy of these results is available at: www.morgansindall.com

· The presentation will be available via live webcast from 09.00am on 8 August 2024 at www.morgansindall.com. 

Note to Editors

Morgan Sindall Group

Morgan Sindall Group plc, the Partnerships, Fit Out and Construction Services Group, reported annual revenues of £4.1bn in full year 2023, employing around 7,700 employees and operating in the public, regulated and private sectors. It reports through six divisions of Partnership Housing, Mixed Use Partnerships, Fit Out, Construction, Infrastructure and Property Services.

Group Strategy

Reflecting the continued progression of the Group, and our strategy aligned to structural growth drivers, with balanced end markets, Morgan Sindall has evolved from the Construction and Regeneration Group to the Partnerships, Fit Out and Construction Services Group it is today.

Morgan Sindall's recognised expertise in Partnerships is displayed through its market positions in affordable housing (through its Partnership Housing division) and in mixed use regeneration development (through the Mixed Use Partnerships division). Both businesses within this segment reflect a deep understanding of the built environment, developed over many years and their ability to provide solutions for complex regeneration projects through various partnerships. As a result, its capabilities are aligned with sectors which support the UK's current and future regeneration and affordable housing needs.

Fit Out is the market leader in its field and delivers a consistently strong operational performance and together with the Construction Services, it generates cash resources to support the Group's investment in affordable housing and mixed use regeneration.

Through Construction Services the Group is also well positioned to meet the demand for ongoing investment in the UK's physical infrastructure, while its geographically diverse construction activities are focused on key areas of education, healthcare and commercial. The Group also has an operation in Property Services which is focused on response and planned maintenance activities provided to the social housing and the wider public sector.

Under the three strategic lines of business of Partnerships, Fit Out and Construction Services, the Group is organised into six reporting divisions as follows:

Partnerships comprise the following operations: 

·     Partnership Housing: Focused on working in partnerships with local authorities and housing associations. Activities include mixed-tenure developments, building and developing homes for open market sale and for social/affordable rent, 'design & build' house contracting and refurbishment.

·     Mixed Use Partnerships: Focused on transforming the urban landscape through partnership working and the development of multi-phase sites and mixed use regeneration.

Fit Out

·     Focused on the fit out of office space with opportunities in commercial, central and local government offices and further education. 

Construction Services comprise the following operations:

·     Construction: Focused on the education, healthcare, commercial, industrial, leisure and retail markets.

·   Infrastructure: Focused on the highways, rail, energy, nuclear and water markets. It also includes the BakerHicks engineering design activities.

·    Property Services: Focused on response and planned maintenance activities provided to the social housing and the wider public sector.

In addition to presenting the financial performance of the business on a statutory basis, adjusted performance measures are also disclosed. Refer to the Other Financial Information section which sets out the basis for the calculations. These measures are not an alternative or substitute to statutory UK IAS measures but are seen as more useful in assessing the performance of the business on a comparable basis and are used by management to monitor the performance of the Group.

In all cases the term 'adjusted' excludes the impact of intangible amortisation of £0.3m (HY 2023: £2.2m) and an exceptional building safety credit of £0.3m for HY 2024 (HY 2023: £0.4m credit).  

Summary Group financial results

The Group delivered a strong performance in the first half, with a significant contribution from the Fit Out division. Group revenue increased by 14% up to £2,214m (HY 2023: £1,935m), while adjusted operating profit increased by 11% to £65.5m (HY 2023: £59.1m), which included the operating loss of £11.0m in Property Services (HY 2023 £4.1m loss). Operating margin was 3.0%, 10bps lower than the prior year period (HY 2023: 3.1%).

The Group benefited from higher interest rates on its cash balances compared to the prior year period, with a net finance income of £4.6m (HY 2023:  £0.7m) resulting in adjusted profit before tax of £70.1m, up 17% (HY 2023: £59.8m). The statutory profit before tax was £70.1m, an increase of 21% (HY 2023: £58.0m).

The adjusted tax charge for the period was £17.8m (statutory tax charge of £17.5m), an effective rate of 25.4%.

The adjusted earnings per share increased 14% to 112.5p (HY 2023: 98.9p), with the statutory basic earnings per share of 113.1p, up 13% (HY 2023: 100.0p).

General market conditions

The challenging market conditions that we experienced in 2023 have continued to ease throughout the period with little increase in prices since the end of 2023. While there remains some cost inflation in the system, mostly related to energy costs and wage inflation, overall, the general trading environment remains more manageable and predictable.

The ongoing stability of the supply chain remains uncertain with liquidity issues increasingly common, requiring additional vigilance during both the pre-construction and delivery phases of projects. The risk is mitigated to some extent by the diligence taken before project commencement, and the fact that no division is overly reliant on any one supplier.

In Construction and Infrastructure, where projects are currently underway, most include appropriate inflationary protection within the overall contract pricing, and this is not seen as a significant risk. Where projects are being priced for future delivery, inflation and funding constraints in some areas continues to place some project budgets under pressure, which in turn has led to some delays in decision-making and project commencement. However, the impact of this has not been material and in many cases, any client budget constraints are being addressed by adjustments to project scopes, thereby allowing projects to proceed.

The market for Fit Out's services has continued to be very strong, with a number of positive structural changes in the market. The main drivers being lease-related events, the requirement for greater energy efficiency from offices, the move towards more flexible and collaborative workspaces, the use of office space as a tool for enhancing staff retention and brand image, and office relocations to the regions with clients requiring increasingly complex projects.

In Property Services, local authority and housing association clients are increasingly focused on housing maintenance and on the general state of repair of their housing stocks. In the delivery of maintenance services, cost inflation and particularly labour inflation have severely impacted the profitability of contracts.

Housing activity in the UK has remained subdued given the still relatively high mortgage rates, but there are some modest signs of improvement expected later this year. In Partnership Housing, the partnership model focusing on long-term partnerships with the public sector, has provided some level of resilience and cushion against the impact of the slowdown. While the demand for contracting has remained strong, the sales rates of private homes on its mixed-tenure sites has begun to show modest recovery since the end of 2023, with the first half of this year showing a gradual improvement on HY 2023 levels. It is positive that the Government has set out its ambitions for affordable home targets, which we believe will bring about some positive momentum in the near to medium term.  In the current period, the challenging planning environment continues to prevail, noting however the recent proposed planning reforms by Government.

In Mixed Use Partnerships, build cost inflation continued to provide delay and challenges to the returns on some of its active developments and on the viability of some of its schemes being evaluated prior to commencement, although not material to the overall portfolio of schemes and their future financial performance. Similar to Partnership Housing, this division is currently exposed to a challenging planning environment.

Divisional headlines

Construction and Infrastructure both delivered strong revenue growth in the period, with Construction revenue up 10% to £519m (HY 2023: £470m) and Infrastructure up 24% to £530m (HY 2023: £428m). With both divisions continuing their disciplined focus on operational delivery and contract selectivity, their respective operating margins for the period were well within their target ranges.

Fit Out enjoyed another excellent period of trading, with revenues up 26% to £630m (HY 2023: £498m) supporting the significant growth to both operating profit and margin. Operating profit was up 36% to £41.3m (HY 2023: £30.4m) while its operating margin increased up to 6.6% (HY 2023: 6.1%).

As Property Services advanced with its remediation plan in the period, exit costs were incurred as the division negotiated its release from a small number of contracts and operationally restructured some of its existing contracts. The outcome of which has resulted in the division making an operating loss in the period of £11.0m (HY 2023: operating loss £4.1m).

Against the backdrop of a market downturn last year, the housing market started to make a gradual but modest recovery in the period, Partnership Housing revenues climbed up slightly by 2% to £381m (HY 2023: £373m), as growth in contracting work continued to provide a shield effect against the slowly recovering housing market. Operating profit was up 16% to £11.7m (HY 2023: £10.1m). 

Mixed Use Partnerships, which holds a long-term development portfolio, was substantially impacted in the period by the duration of time that has lapsed between scheme completions in the prior year and a lower level of completions in the first half of this year. As a result, operating profit fell from £6.0m in HY 2023 to just £0.5m in HY 2024. ROCE for the last 12 months was 10% (HY 2023: 17%).

Secured order book

The Group has a high-quality secured order book of £8,663m at the end of the period, which has contracted against both the year-end position (FY 2023: £8,920m) and the prior period (HY 2023: £9,068m), largely due to an adjustment to remove the revenues of the unexpired term of the contracts which Property Services had negotiated an early release from.

Maintaining contract selectivity and bidding discipline to ensure there remains the appropriate risk balance in the order book is of critical importance to the future success of the Group.

Balance sheet & cash

Net cash at the period end was £351m, an increase of £88m on the prior year (HY 2023: £263m). Of this total, £50m was held in jointly controlled operations or held for future payment to designated suppliers (JVs/PBAs).

The average daily net cash for the period was £372m (including £43m in JVs/PBAs) compared to £268m in the prior year period. Looking ahead to the full year, based upon the current anticipated cash movements over the second half, we expect that the average daily net cash for the full year is likely to be in excess of £350m.

Operating cash for the period was an outflow of £36.1m (HY 2023: outflow of £31.2m), which in part was due to the continued investment in both Partnership Housing and Mixed Use Partnerships in line with their long-term strategies in regeneration, as well as also reflecting the usual seasonal working capital movements. Operating cash for the last twelve months was an inflow of £184.1m.

Dividend

The interim dividend has been increased by 15% to 41.5p per share (HY 2023: 36.0p).  This reflects the increase in profit in the period, the strong balance sheet and the Board's confidence in the future prospects of the Group.

Capital Allocation Framework and Medium-Term Targets

The Capital Allocation Framework remains unchanged since December 2023 and can be found in the Group's Annual Report and Accounts for the period ending 31^st December 2023.

To provide a framework for future performance, each division operates to a medium-term financial target or set of targets (the 'target' or 'targets'), these remain unchanged since August 2023 and can be found in each of the Divisional review section of this report.

The following Divisional Review is given on an adjusted basis, unless otherwise stated. Refer to Note 14 of the consolidated financial statements for appropriate reconciliations to the comparable UK IAS measures.

Headline results by business segment (vs HY 2023)

Group secured order book¹ by division

The Group's secured order book¹ at 30 June 2024 was £8,663m, down 4% and 3% when compared to the prior year and the year-end respectively.  The divisional split is shown below.

¹   The 'Secured order book' is the sum of the 'committed order book', the 'framework order book' and (for Partnership Housing and Mixed Use Partnerships) the Group's share of the gross development value of secured schemes (including the development value of open market housing schemes) 

The 'committed order book' represents the Group's share of future revenue that will be derived from signed contracts or letters of intent.  The 'framework order book' represents the Group's expected share of revenue from the frameworks on which the Group has been appointed.   This excludes prospects where confirmation has been received as preferred bidder only, with no formal contract or letter of intent in place.

Construction experienced a good period of revenue growth, up 10% to £519m (HY 2023: £470m). Operating profit¹ of £14.1m was up 18% on the prior year (HY 2023: £12.0m), with the operating margin¹ of 2.7% well placed in the middle of its strategically targeted range of 2.5%-3%.  The strong profit performance was driven by improving the overall quality of earnings through contract selectivity and operational delivery together with prudent risk management within its order book.

The business remains broadly 85% public sector focused, with projects primarily delivered through frameworks and with education continuing to be the largest market sector served at around 50%. 

The division had a strong period of winning new work, with the secured order book at the period end at £856m, down slightly by 4% from the prior year (HY 2023: £888m) and up 8% on the year-end position (FY 2023: £796m). Around 98% of the value of the order book is derived through either negotiated, framework or two-stage bidding procurement processes, in line with the preferred risk profile of work undertaken.

There continues to be a significant amount of suitable work available in the market, much of which is being generated through the existing frameworks. In addition to the secured order book, the division also had £1,181m of work at preferred bidder stage, providing confidence of a sizeable ongoing workload.

Key work won in the period included: the £51m new build secondary school in Dumfries, Scotland; the £43m new build high rise residential block in Salford for English Cities Fund; the £34m secondary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for the Department for Education and the £32m redevelopment and upgrade of a Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) and Waste Transfer Station (WTS) in Aldridge, West Midlands for the Walsall Metropolitan Council. 

Divisional outlook for Construction

The medium-term target for Construction is an operating margin of between 2.5% and 3% per annum and revenue of £1bn. For the full year, the division is on track to meet both its revenue and margin targets, while at the same time also maintaining its normal risk profile in its workload and bidding discipline.

¹   Before exceptional Building Safety charge of £nil (HY 2023: £8.6m). See Note 2 of the consolidated financial statements

Infrastructure delivered another strong performance in the period. Revenues increased by 24% to £530m (HY 2023: £428m) with an equally strong flow through to operating profit, also up 24%, to £19.7m (HY 2023: £15.9m), with the operating margin of 3.7% in the middle of its targeted range of 3.5%-4%.

Infrastructure's order book of £1,682m was 3% up compared to the prior period (HY 2023: £1,628m) and broadly flat with the year-end position (FY 2023: £1,689m). The order book continues to remain long term in nature, with 73% for 2025 and beyond and around 95% derived through existing frameworks.

The division continues to remain focused on the key sectors of highways, nuclear, energy, water, and rail with visible opportunities in defence.

In highways, work started on the £83m M27 project in Hampshire and works continued on the A12 in Essex, both part of National Highway's Concrete Roads Programme - Reconstruction Works Framework, a four-year programme to repair or replace the concrete surface of motorways and major A roads in England. In addition, works continued on safety-critical upgrades to the M40-M42 interchange for National Highways, this is part of the original Smart Motorways Alliance. Through Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), we continue to work with Oxfordshire County Council on their project to replace Kennington Railway Bridge on the A423 Southern Bypass.

In nuclear, decommissioning works continued for Sellafield on the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance and on the £1.6bn Programme and Project Partners contract. In addition, work progressed on the 10-year Clyde Commercial Framework for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and on the D58 facility for BAE Systems.

In energy, the division secured a position with National Grid on The Great Grid Partnership, the first phase being the delivery of an initial nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects. The ASTI projects form a key part of The Great Grid Upgrade which is building the significant new electricity network infrastructure required to reduce the UK's reliance on fossil fuels by connecting 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.  Elsewhere, work continued at Dinorwig in Wales, and commenced at ZA, in Hertfordshire as part of the RIIO-2 electricity construction EPC (Engineer, Procure and Construct) framework for National Grid. Under this framework the division also secured several schemes to maintain the existing onshore electricity transmission network in England and Wales. Work also continued in Shetland for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which includes an 11-kilometre 132Kv twin circuit underground cable project and construction of Gremista substation.

In water, work continued on various environmental improvement projects and wastewater treatment upgrades as part of the long-term AMP7 framework with Welsh Water. In addition, civil engineering works continued on the west section of the Thames Tideway 'super sewer' project to help prevent pollution in the Thames.

In rail, the division secured a position on the CP7 Eastern Framework for Network Rail, a £3.5bn framework through the Control Period 7 investment phase to 2029, this builds on our position secured on the CP7 Wales and Western Framework in 2023, a £2bn programme. In the period, work commenced on the Colindale Station Remodelling for Transport for London, a project to upgrade Colindale station with a new ticket hall and step-free access. Works continue on the project to extend Beckton Depot and a project to upgrade Surrey Quays station, both for Transport for London, as part of its London Rail Infrastructure Improvement Framework. Elsewhere, work continued on several schemes for Network Rail, including the Bangor to Colwyn Bay line, as part of the CP6 Wales and Western framework, the lift scheme at Liverpool Central Station as part of the Mersey Rail framework, and the Northumberland Line extension project.

In the BakerHicks design business, design work completed on Paisley Central Learning and Cultural Hub, Renfrewshire Council's new £7m home for library services. While in the highways sector, the innovative Tyn-y-bryn Active Travel Bridge design was commended in the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation's Infrastructure Award, providing residents with essential pedestrian access to the local town and services; notably the bridge's reinforced plastic structure considerably reduced its carbon footprint. Work also continued on an innovative feed additive facility for East Dunbartonshire Council in Dalry, North Ayrshire to reduce methane emissions from cattle.

Divisional outlook for Infrastructure

The medium-term target for Infrastructure is an operating margin of between 3.5% and 4% per annum and revenue of £1bn.

For the full year, based upon the timing of projects and the projected type of work, the division expects to make strong progress towards its revenue target, with its margin expected to be towards the middle of this range. This is underpinned by their continued focus on long‐term client relationships, disciplined contract selectivity, risk management and project delivery.

Fit Out delivered an excellent result in the period, enjoying significant growth for both revenues and operating profit. With revenue increasing by 26% to £630m (HY 2023: £498m), operating profit was up 36% to £41.3m (HY 2023: £30.4m) resulting in an expansion in the operating margin at a very strong 6.6% (HY 2023: 6.1%), due to contract type, mix and operational leverage.

The division's focus on consistent operational delivery and enhanced customer experience has once again driven performance, complemented by a high-quality workload and disciplined and focused bidding, which in turn supports the division's strong brand reputation and market position.   

The overall balance of the business has been reasonably consistent over recent years, with any movements in geography, type of work and sectors served not indicative of any longer-term trends; the London region remains the division's largest market, accounting for 72% of revenue (HY 2023: 59%) while other regions accounted for 28% of revenue (HY 2023: 41%), reinforcing Fit Out's focused but agile approach to its markets and understanding of its own capabilities and skills.

There was no significant change to the market sectors served. The commercial office market remained the largest, contributing 87% of revenue (HY 2023: 79%), with government/local authority, higher education and retail banking accounting for the majority of the remainder.

In terms of type of work delivered in the year, 85% related to traditional fit out work (HY 2023: 84%), while 15% related to 'design and build' (HY 2023: 16%). The proportion of revenue generated from the fit out of existing office space remained relatively constant at 79% (HY 2023: 78%), with the fit out of new office space at 21% (HY 2023: 22%). Of the fit out of existing office space, 43% of the work was refurbishment 'in occupation' compared to 57% where work was performed in non-occupied space.

The market for Fit Out remains strong, with a number of different factors driving demand; lease events and significant project requirements in the London commercial office market; upcoming public and private sector schemes outside of London; carbon-driven planning restrictions for new buildings and energy efficiency of existing office space; and the continuation of re-purposing of office space to accommodate new ways of working.

Underpinning the current and future performance is a high-quality workload, with the secured order book strong at £1,210m at the end of the period, in line with the prior year position (HY 2023: £1,217m) and 10% up on the year end position (FY 2023: £1,098m).

Of the secured order book, £577m (48%) relates to the second half of the year, which is 11% higher than the equivalent amount as at 30 June 2023 of £521m. The remaining £634m of the current order book (52%) is for 2025 and beyond; continuing to provide an increasing level of long-term visibility of workload compared to previous periods (HY 2023: £696m).

In addition, there remains a significant pipeline of visible opportunities being pursued. The division also had over £150m of work in the pre-contract 'preferred bidder' stage at the period end, as well as in excess of £800m of work currently being tendered or pending a decision and over £1bn at tender stage. The average value of enquiries received remains around £3-£4m.

Commercial fit out projects won in London during the period included 380,000 sq ft for PwC at More London; 277,000 sq ft for Latham & Watkins on Leadenhall Street; 276,000 sq ft for Unilever in Kingston-upon-Thames; 158,000 sq ft for Travers Smith; 101,000 sq ft fit out for Investec on Gresham Street; 56,000 sq ft for Standard Chartered Bank; 37,000 sq ft fit out for OMERS & Oxford Properties; 26,000 sq ft for Motability Operations at 22 Bishopsgate; 24,000 sq ft for Johnson Matthey at Gresham Street; and 8,500 sq ft for AstraZeneca at Pancras Square.

Regional project wins in the period included 152,500 sq ft for Lloyds Banking Group in Birmingham; 32,000 sq ft for an EV design and manufacturing company in Bicester; 27,000 sq ft for Evelyn Partners in Bristol; and 18,500 sq ft for a global telecommunications firm in Newbury.

Commercial fit out projects on site or completed in London during the period included 750,000 sq ft for a global financial services firm in Canary Wharf; 110,000 sq ft for a professional services firm in London; 109,000 sq ft for Aviva at 80 Fenchurch Street; 114,000 sq ft for law firm Reed Smith near Spitalfields; two projects totalling 99,500 sq ft for Deloitte at New Street Square; 51,500 sq ft for Berkeley Estate Asset Management in Mayfair; 40,000 sq ft for British Land on Bishopsgate; 17,000 sq ft for Boston Consulting Group on Charlotte Street; and an 11,000 sq ft fit out for Burges Salmon at New Street Square.

Regional projects on site or completed during the period include: 160,000 sq ft for Lloyds Banking Group in Leeds; 144,000 sq ft for Wirral Borough Council; 50,000 sq ft for Dojo in Bristol; 44,000 sq ft for Samsung in Cambridge; 27,000 sq ft for Arup in Bristol; and 20,000 sq ft for Sky in Leeds.

In the higher education and science and research sectors, projects won included 40,500 sq ft for Birmingham City University, 29,000 sq ft library refurbishment at University of Wolverhampton and two projects totalling 25,000 sq ft at Anglia Ruskin University.

Projects on site or completed during the period included a 150,000 sq ft HQ for GSK in London's Life Sciences Hub, known as the Knowledge Quarter; 100,000 sq ft at Durham University School of Business; five projects totalling 45,000 sq ft for Queen Mary University; 27,500 sq ft for Aston University; 26,000 sq ft fit out at Birmingham City University; and 12,500 sq ft to fit out Keele University's Clinical Skills department.

Design and build fit out projects won in the period included 117,000 sq ft for Wood Group at Green Park in Reading; 50,000 sq ft for Mapletree at Green Park in Reading; 50,000 sq ft for Accrue Capital in Maidenhead; 38,000 sq ft for Aurora Energy Research in Oxford and 18,000 sq ft for Sage UK in Winnerish Triangle, Reading.

Design and build projects completed during the period included 30,000 sq ft of fully-fitted labs and office space for Stanhope at MediaWorks in White City Place; 21,000 sq ft for Kajima Properties (Europe); 13,500 sq ft for Smiths Group plc; 8,600 sq ft for Centiva and 8,000 sq ft for AEW UK Investment Management.

Projects won under frameworks and corporate partnerships included £10.6m of works for the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), with a future order book of £18.2m; and two projects for Scape to the value of £3m.

Divisional outlook for Fit Out

The medium-term target for Fit Out is to deliver an average annual operating profit of £50m-£70m. 

For 2024, current trading patterns are anticipated to continue through the second half, supported by a secured order book. Operating profit is likely to well exceed the top end of the medium-term target range for this year due to exceptional revenues.

The remediation programme for Property Services continued to progress well in the first half and remains on track to be completed by the end of 2024. Under the leadership of the new management team, the division successfully negotiated early releases from a small number of underperforming contracts by way of mutual agreement resulting in exit costs recorded in the first half. Elsewhere, the division progressed with its operational restructuring efforts across the existing contract portfolio.

The impact of these events has resulted in an operating loss¹ in the period of £11.0m (HY 2023: loss of £4.1m).

Revenue increased by 6%, up to £103m (HY 2023: £97m), with the growth driven by increased volumes of planned repair works as clients look to improve the condition of their residential assets.

At the period end, the secured order book was £1,006m, down 36% from the prior year (HY 2023: £1,579m) and 32% from the full year position (FY 2023: £1,478m), as revenues were removed for the unexpired term for those contracts for which the division had negotiated an early release from. Of the orderbook remaining, over 89% is for 2025 and beyond. Future growth in the order book during the second half and 2025 is expected to come through existing client contracts.

The division's primary objective is to successfully implement the remediation plan by the end of 2024 and to stabilise its operational delivery capability over 2025.

Divisional outlook for Property Services

The medium-term target for Property Services is to deliver £7.5m operating profit per annum.

A further loss is expected in the second half which is likely to be half of the level in the first half. The remediation programme is expected to leave the business positioned to return to profit in 2025 and beyond.

  ¹ before intangible amortisation of £0.3m (HY 2023: £2.2m)

In Partnership Housing, the partnership model focusing on long-term partnerships with the public sector provided resilience against a softer housing market.

During the first half of the year, while we have seen a modest improvement in the housing market, the demand for contracting remained strong, shielding the impact of a gradual recovery of open market sales within the mixed-tenure activities. The division continued to optimise construction of the contracted affordable homes on mixed-tenure sites to maintain activity. 

Reflective of the above, revenue was up 2% to £381m (HY 2023: £373m), driven by Contracting (including planned maintenance and refurbishment) which was up 21% to £258m (68% of divisional total) compared to the prior year.  Mixed-tenure revenue declined by 23% to £123m (32% of divisional total) compared to the prior year. 

Notwithstanding the composition of the divisions revenue and its growth profile, both contracting and mixed-tenure activities enjoyed stronger margins in the period, led by contract type and mix of schemes delivered, resulting in operating profits increasing by 16% to £11.7m (HY 2023: £10.1m) with an operating margin of 3.1% (HY 2023: 2.7%).

Despite the challenging short-term market conditions, the longer-term development of the business and its partnerships with local authorities and housing associations has continued with planned momentum. Reflective of this ongoing activity and investment in future growth, the capital employed¹ at the period end was £332.6m, an increase of £89.5m on the prior year (HY 2023: £243.1m) and £98.2m higher than at the year-end (FY 2023: £234.4m). As we continue to invest, the higher average capital employed¹ for the last 12-month period of £289.3m (HY 2023: £221.9m), resulted in a reduction in the ROCE² for the last 12-month period to 11% (HY 2023: 15%).

Mixed Tenure

The division continues to make good progress with its strategy of increasing the number and size of mixed-tenure sites. At the period end, the division had 63 active mixed-tenure sites at various stages of construction and sales, up from 61 at the year-end but down from 69 at the prior year. There was an average of 166 open market units per site at the period end.

784 units were completed across open market sales and social housing (including through its joint ventures) compared to 805 in the prior year period, noting that the number of open market sales within this increased by 7% to 364. The average sales price was £222k compared to the prior year average of £241k, a reduction of 8%.

Of the total divisional order book, the amount relating to mixed-tenure activities was £1,250m, broadly in line with the prior period and slightly ahead of the year end (HY 2023: £1,273m, FY 2023: £1,167m). In addition, the amount of mixed-tenure business in preferred bidder status, or already under development agreement but where land has not been drawn down, was £929m at the end of the period.

Work secured in the period included; a 350 unit development in partnership with the Aster Group, Williton; a 115 unit scheme in Haverford West in partnership with the Pobl Group; 727 units as we moved into Phases 2 and 3 on South Thamesmead Phases in joint venture with Peabody and 82 units in Primrose Hill with Birmingham City Council.

Elsewhere, Progress continues on other mixed-tenure schemes, in partnerships with Riverside, Clarion Housing, Trafford Housing Trust, Together Housing Group, Repton Property Developments (owned by Norfolk County Council), the Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, Flagship Group, Pobl Group, West Sussex, Suffolk and Homes England.

Contracting

Partnership Housing continued to experience good levels of demand with clients awarding work either through frameworks or direct negotiation.

The total number of equivalent units built increased by 19% to 1,584, up from 1,328 in the prior period. Of the total divisional order book, the contracting secured order book was slightly higher at £831m (HY 2023: £801m), of which £527m is for 2025 and beyond.

Key contracting schemes awarded in the period included; a £14m, 70 units in Castle Gresley for East Midlands Homes; a £11m, 38 units at Saffron Lane for Leicester City Council; a £10m, 45 units in Isleham for Havebury Housing Partnership; a £10m, 56 units in Baginton for Platform Housing Group; a £9m, 55 units at Crick Road Phase 2 for Canleston Homes; and a number of retrofit and refurbishment projects for local authorities and housing associations. 

Divisional outlook for Partnership Housing

Partnership Housing's medium-term targets are to generate a return on average capital employed up towards 25% and to deliver an operating margin of 8%. 

An improved performance is expected in the second half, based on the slightly improving housing market and the secured contracting work in the order book.  For the full year, the operating margin is expected to improve slightly above last year's levels, while the return on average capital is expected to be lower than FY 2023 levels as we continue to invest.

The average capital employed¹ is expected to increase up towards c£330m, reflecting the increased scale of the business and stage of developments.

¹ Capital Employed is calculated as total assets (excluding goodwill, intangibles and cash) less total liabilities (excluding exceptional Building Safety provisions, corporation tax, deferred tax, inter-company financing and overdrafts)

² Return On Average Capital Employed = (Adjusted operating profit plus interest from JVs) divided by average capital employed

Mixed Use Partnership's long-term projects were significantly impacted in the first half notably by the length of time between projects completing in the prior year and a lower level of completions in the first half of the year, resulting in an operating profit¹ of £0.5m (HY 2023: £6.0m). The ROCE³ for the last 12 months was 10%, significantly down on the prior year, based on average capital employed² of £89.9m.

Despite the modest profit contribution in the first half, key contributors to performance were profit from a land sale in Hucknall, East Midlands; profit and development fees generated from activity in Salford Central, Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, Stroudley Walk, Lewisham Gateway and Forge Island in Rotherham.

Good progress in the period was made on several long-term developments, including 191 affordable homes for Haringey Council at Hale Wharf, Tottenham Hale through the Waterside Places partnership with the Canal & River Trust and a 215,000 sq ft office building at Talbot Gateway, Blackpool for the Department for Work and Pensions. The final phase of Lewisham Gateway is virtually complete, delivering 649 homes for rent, retail space, food and beverage space, workspace and a multiplex cinema.

With the ECF partnership, strong progress was made on Manor Road, Canning Town where Phase 1 is expected to complete later this year; 355-homes delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Newham and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.

The division's development portfolio included 10 projects on site at the end of the period, totalling £877m gross development value, with a further 2 projects, with a gross development value of £41m expected to start on site in the second half and 14 planned to start in 2025 with a gross development value of £783m.

At the period end, the division's order book amounted to £1,830m, 8% up on the prior year period (HY 2023: £1,699m) and slightly ahead of the year end (FY 2023: £1,825m). Activity levels remain good and there are a number of sizeable projects currently in the pipeline at preferred bidder stage which are expected to be converted into contract in due course.

The Mixed Use Partnerships order book continues to maintain a diverse regional and sector split:

·    by value, 68% is in the North West, 31% in London and the South East and 1% in Yorkshire and the North East: and

·    by sector, 66% by value relates to residential, 18% to offices, with the remainder broadly split between industrial, retail, public realm and transport hubs.

Divisional outlook for Mixed Use Partnerships

The medium-term target for Mixed Use Partnerships is to generate a rolling three-year average ROCE up towards 20%. The phasing of schemes expected in 2024 reflects a hiatus between projects having reached completion towards the end of 2023 and the slower start-up of existing projects until later years.

While its full year performance is anticipated to be weighted towards the second half, we expect profit (and the resulting ROCE) to be significantly lower than in 2023, with the average capital employed for the year expected to be c£90m.

¹   Before exceptional Building Safety Credit HY 2024: £0.3m (HY 2023: Credit £9.0m). See Note 2 of the consolidated financial statements

² Capital Employed is calculated as total assets (excluding goodwill, intangibles and cash) less total liabilities (excluding exceptional Building Safety provisions, corporation tax, deferred tax, inter-company financing and overdrafts)

³ Return On Average Capital Employed = (Adjusted operating profit plus interest from JVs) divided by average capital employed

1. Net finance income.  Net finance income was £4.6m, an increase of £3.9m compared to HY 2023. 

2. Tax.  A reported tax charge of £17.5m is shown for the year (HY 2023: £11.7m). This equates to an effective tax rate of 25.0% on profit before tax. The adjusted tax charge is £17.8m (HY 2023: £14.0m).

3. Net working capital. 'Net Working Capital' is defined as 'Inventories plus Trade & Other Receivables (including Contract Assets), less Trade & Other Payables (including Contract Liabilities)' adjusted as below.

¹ Adjusted to exclude capitalised arrangement fees and accrued interest receivable of £1.8m (HY 2022: £1.7m) and exceptional Building Safety receivables of £8.1m (HY 2023: £nil).

² Adjusted to exclude accrued interest payable of £0.4m (HY 2023: £0.6m).

4. Cash flow. Operating cash flow was an outflow of £36.1m (HY 2023: outflow of £31.2m).  Free cash flow was an outflow of £50.0m (HY 2023: outflow of £37.3m). 

¹ 'Underlying net profit of joint ventures excludes the exceptional building safety charge (£0.6m) related to joint ventures

² 'Other operating items' includes reduction on building safety receivable (£8.4m) and increase in provisions (£0.3m) less by building safety provision movements (£2.5m) and a gain on disposal of PPE (£0.3m).

³ 'Change in working capital' excludes movement on building safety receivable (£8.4m).

5. Net cash.  Net cash at 30 June 2024 was £350.5m, as a result of a net cash outflow of £110.2m from 1 January 2024, with movements summarised as:

¹ 'Other' includes the purchase of shares in the Company by the employee benefit trust (£22.2m) and net loan advances paid from JVs (£15.2m) less proceeds from the exercise of share options (£13.6m) and proceeds from the issue of new shares (£0.1m).

6. Capital employed by strategic activity.  An analysis of the capital employed in Construction Services and Fit Out shows a decrease of £89.3m since the prior period, split as follows:

An analysis of capital employed in the Partnership activities shows an increase of £61.4m since the prior period, split as follows:

1  Total assets (excluding goodwill, intangibles, inter-company financing and cash) less total liabilities (excluding corporation tax, deferred tax, inter-company financing and overdrafts)

2  Adjusted to exclude Building Safety receivables and provisions

7. Exceptional Building Safety credit. The total exceptional building safety credit of £0.3m arose as a result of a better estimate of expected costs and recoveries. This includes a charge of £0.6m that has been recognised in respect of the Group's share of constructive and legal obligations to remediate legacy building safety issues within JVs, and this has been recognised within the Group's share of net profit of joint ventures. A net credit of £0.9m has been recognised in cost of sales.

8. Dividends.  The Board of Directors has proposed an interim dividend of 41.5p per share, an increase of 15% on the prior year interim dividend (HY 2023: 36.0p). This will be paid on 24 October 2024 to shareholders on the register on 4 October 2024. The ex-dividend date will be 3 October 2024.

9. Principal risks and uncertainties. The Board continues to take a proactive approach to recognising and mitigating risk with the aim of protecting and safeguarding the interests of the Group and its shareholders in the changing environment in which it operates.

Details of the principal risks facing the Group and mitigating actions are included within the 2023 Annual Report. These are still considered to be relevant risks and uncertainties for the Group at this time and are summarised below (in no order of magnitude).

Summary of principal risks as per 2023 Annual Report:

Economic change and uncertainty - UK construction continues to benefit from sustained government (and cross-party) investment commitments. This continues to support the Group's market sectors which remain structurally secure particularly in regeneration, construction and infrastructure (primary areas in the UK targeted for growth). In addition, the Group's diversity of offering and strong balance sheet protects the business from cyclical changes in individual markets.

Exposure to UK housing market - The Group's long-term public sector partnerships models, Government support (including cross-party) and UKs Affordable Housing need complement its product position. Prior headwinds such as inflation and mortgage availability have eased during the reporting period, with cost of living set to follow, signalling signs of recovery in the market, although interest rate trajectory is likely to impact timing. Planning constraints continue to contribute to a slowdown in sales and in Partnerships, cost inflation on some schemes is impacting their potential viability.

Poor contract selection and/or bidding - The quality of the Group's public and regulated industry sectors should safeguard future performance, allowing the Group to continue selecting the right projects and in sectors where it has proven capability.

Macro-induced inflationary pressures have eased, with impacted projects now largely completed and newer projects benefiting from improved customer budgets which whilst more realistic in some instances do still result in preconstruction periods taking longer.

Poor project delivery (including changes to contracts and contract disputes) - The improved macro inflationary backdrop is allowing bids to include sensible contingency allowances and contract terms with competition re-emerging in the supply chain. In addition, the Group's longstanding supply chain relationships and focus on customer experience continue to mitigate any significant issues and disputes should they arise.

Health and safety - Failure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of its key stakeholders could damage the Group's reputation as a responsible employer and affect its ability to secure future work.

Failure to attract and retain talented people - Talented people are needed to provide excellence in project delivery and customer service. Skills shortages in the construction industry remain an issue for the foreseeable future.

Insolvency of key client, subcontractor, joint venture partner or supplier - There is a risk that our supply chain partners may be trading with strained finances as a result of prior inflationary and borrowing pressures. Our teams are acutely aware of this and have increased due diligence activities as well as providing help and assistance where appropriate. In some limited circumstances we have supported key partners with more favourable terms to assist their cash flow while obtaining assurance on production progress and forms of guarantee.

Condensed consolidated income statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2024

There were no discontinued operations in either the current or comparative periods.

Condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income

For the six months ended 30 June 2024

Condensed consolidated statement of financial position

At 30 June 2024

Condensed consolidated cash flow statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2024

Condensed consolidated statement of changes in equity

For the six months ended 30 June 2024

Other reserves

Other reserves include:

·      Capital redemption reserve of £0.6m (30 June 2023: £0.6m, 31 December 2023: £0.6m) which was created on the redemption of preference shares in 2003.

·      Hedging reserve of (£0.8m) (30 June 2023: (£0.9m), 31 December 2023: (£0.8m)) arising under cash flow and net investment hedge accounting. Movements on the effective portion of hedges are recognised through the hedging reserve, whilst any ineffectiveness is taken to the income statement. 

·      Translation reserve of £1.5m (30 June 2023: £1.2m, 31 December 2023: £1.5m) arising on the translation of overseas operations into the Group's functional currency.

Retained earnings

Retained earnings include shares in Morgan Sindall Group plc purchased in the market and held by the Morgan Sindall Employee Benefit Trust to satisfy options under the Group's share incentive schemes. The number of shares held by the Trust at 30 June 2024 was 965,018 (30 June 2023: 947,924, 31 December 2023: 1,124,215) with a cost of £23.8m (30 June 2023: £19.8m, 31 December 2023:  £23.4m).