Fact Sheet
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Ticker: LSE: SPT
Sector: Technology Hardware & Equipment
Description of the Business
Spirent Communications plc is a leading communications technology company focused on delivering innovative systems and services to meet the needs of customers worldwide. Spirent’s activities are organised into two operating groups Spirent Communications and Systems. Spirent Communications plc employs c. 1,500 people worldwide.
Our Business at a Glance
Performance Analysis - 2008 Revenue £191.2m
Network equipment manufacturers and service providers face numerous challenges associated with taking products and solutions from the lab to the marketplace. Spirent’s Performance Analysis division allows equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprise and governments to holistically test and benchmark the performance of voice, video and data systems and services in an effort to accelerate the development and deployment of related applications.
Service Assurance - 2008 Revenue £33.5m
Spirent’s service assurance solutions allow service providers to diagnose, troubleshoot and determine how to resolve issues with networks and systems within the live network as well as address the transition to next-generation service offerings. Service providers rely on Spirent to improve the quality of service at the network core, edge or even within the home.
Systems - 2008 Revenue £33.2m
PG Drives Technology is a leading supplier of sophisticated electronic control systems for electrically powered vehicles in the mobility and industrial markets. These include medical vehicles such as powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters as well as industrial vehicles such as floor cleaning vehicles, golf carts, fork-lift trucks and aerial access platforms.
Management
Bill Burns, Chief Executive Officer
Bill Burns was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 6 November 2008, having previously led the Communications division. He is responsible for overall leadership, strategy, investments, coordination of resources and leveraging Spirent’s breadth and depth of technology across all of Spirent’s business units.
Eric Hutchinson, Chief Financial Officer
Eric Hutchinson was appointed Finance Director in 2000, having previously been responsible for all financial reporting and control within the Group.
Key Financials
£ million |
H1 2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
| Continuing Operations |
|
|
|
| Revenue |
139.1 |
257.9 |
237.0 |
| Reported operating profit |
24.0 |
48.7 |
11.1 |
| Adjusted operating profit1 |
24.0 |
48.7 |
25.5 |
| Reported profit before tax |
23.6 |
49.6 |
17.8 |
| Adjusted profit before tax1 |
23.6 |
51.4 |
32.2 |
| Basic earnings per share (pence) |
3.01 |
10.13 |
2.97 |
| Adjusted bascis earnings per share2 (pence) |
3.01 |
6.24 |
3.57 |
| Interim dividend per share (pence) |
0.55 |
0.50 |
- |
| Final dividend per share (pence) |
N/A |
0.60 |
- |
Notes
1. Before exceptional items.
2. As (1) above and including any exceptional tax as well as prior year tax adjustments.
Share Price Information
| Share price* |
111.60p |
| 52-week closing price range |
36.50-111.60p |
| Shares in issue with voting rights |
678m |
| Market cap* |
£757m |
| *at 3 February 2010 |
Major Shareholders**
| % held |
|---|
| BlackRock Inc |
15.20 |
| Prudential plc |
11.74 |
| Aviva plc |
7.32 |
| Ameriprise Financial, Inc |
5.68 |
| Artemis Investment Management Limited |
5.17 |
| Legal & General Group plc |
3.89 |
| Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (UK) Ltd |
3.45 |
| **at 3 December 2009 |
|
