Betting group says full year revenues and earnings beat expectations while cost savings rise

Online gaming group Betfair has issued an upbeat trading statement in an attempt to fend off an unwanted £920m bid from private equity group CVC Capital Partners.

Its shares added 16.5p to 861.5p. This is still below the 880p on offer from CVC, although some nonetheless believe the price will have to be raised to win the day.

Betfair said full year estimated earnings were likely to come in at around £73m, at the top end of its previous forecasts. Revenues had reached around £387m while it had £138m of cash on the balance sheet. It reported record new UK customers, and cut 500 staff as part of a restructuring.

Cost savings have been raised from £20m to £30m. But there was no mention of any cash return to investors, which some had been expecting.

Chief executive Breon Corcoran said the company’s new management team had successfully completed the shake-up ahead of schedule, and its new sportsbook was doing well in combination with its existing exchange business. Having bought Blue Square it is planning further targeted acquisitions. In a buy note Simon French at Panmure Gordon said:

The key thrust on strategy is that early indications are that the exchange and sportsbook products are more complimentary than originally envisaged and that “Exchange plus Sportsbook” can deliver a sustainable competitive advantage.

Some investors may be disappointed there is no commitment to return cash to shareholders but the group is looking to accelerate growth through international opportunities and balance sheet flexibility. [We] reiterate our buy recommendation and 1000p target price.

Nick Batram at Peel Hunt kept his hold recommendation but also welcomed the update:

As an initial defence, beating expectations and raising cost savings shouldn’t really surprise anyone, but it is nonetheless a good start for Betfair’s management.

There are three key positives from today’s announcement that suggest to us that CVC will have to significantly up its bid if it wants to secure Betfair. Firstly, while it is early days, the increased focus on the UK appears to be delivering strong customer acquisition numbers. Secondly, what might have been a back-foot defence now firmly looks like a business being positioned on the front foot. Finally, we are glad to see that returning cash to shareholders is not an option at this stage. In a rapidly evolving market and with the strategic opportunities open to Betfair, we believe the cash is better off being deployed in growing the company.