Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks IPOs and placings
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
Judges Scientific revenue rises, outlook more uncertain
(Sharecast News) - Scientific instrument sector investor Judges Scientific reported a 20% uptick in 2023 revenue in its final results on Thursday, reaching £136.1m, although its shares were sliding on a more uncertain outlook for 2024. The AIM-traded firm said adjusted operating profit also saw a rise of 16% to £34.8m, while tax on adjusted earnings increased 41% to £6.9m.
Adjusted basic earnings per share climbed 3% to 374.6p.
Cash generated from operations totalled £31.3 million, marking a 30% increase year-on-year.
The company declared a final dividend per share of 68p, a notable rise from 2022's 59p.
Judges said its organic revenue saw advanced 15% on the year, while organic order intake rose 7%.
The organic order book stood at 17 weeks, slightly lower than the prior year's 21.1 weeks, with a total order book at 16.2 weeks.
On the strategic front, Judges made two small acquisitions during the year - Henniker Scientific and Bossa Nova Vision - for total consideration of £3.6m.
Additionally, the executive team was bolstered with the appointment of Dr Tim Prestidge as group business development director in February last year, alongside Sue Nyman joining the board as an independent non-executive director.
Looking ahead, Judges Scientific said it started 2024 with a solid organic order book, although the timing of the next Geotek Coring expedition and its revenue recognition remained uncertain.
The board said the supply chain had returned to normal, but year-to-date organic orders were slightly behind the comparative period in 2023, which included a large post-lockdown contribution from China.
Despite that, the board said it was comfortable with current market expectations.
"The group has again beaten its previous records in organic order intake, revenue, adjusted operating profit, cash generation and adjusted earnings per share in an improving but still challenging environment," said chairman Alex Hambro.
"We are delighted that the proposed dividend for the full year has now equalled the group's original IPO price."
At 1017 GMT, shares in Judges Scientific were down 6.47% at 10,850p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity and Inclusion | Doing Business with Fidelity | Fidelity gender pay report | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Security | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing policy
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.
