London Stock Exchange Plc Announcement Of Preliminary Financial Results

Highlights:

Turnover up 11 per cent to £215.6 million
Operating profit from continuing operations and before exceptional items up 22 per cent to £70.5 million
Adjusted earnings per share up 20 per cent to 18.3 pence
Final dividend 2.5 pence per share bringing the total dividend for the year to 3.6 pence per share, up 13 per cent

Commenting on the results, Don Cruickshank, Chairman of the Exchange, said: "Last year, our Bicentenary, was an important one for the Exchange. We became a publicly listed company, gaining the commercial and financial flexibility to continue to build our business. Our primary objective remains to maximise shareholder value and we believe today's strong financial results support this. We continue to view the Exchange's future with confidence."

Clara Furse, Chief Executive, said: "Our strong financial performance is testament to the strength of our competitive position, the breadth of our product range, and the quality of the services we provide to our customers. Despite difficult market conditions, we have delivered turnover growth of 11 per cent, significantly improved our profit margins and increased our cash flows, all of which have strengthened our financial position.

"During the year, we have implemented a series of important initiatives. These include a £12 million upgrade to our electronic order book SETS, the development of Extranex, our new global internet protocol network, and, since the year-end, the commencement of the operation of RNS on a commercial basis. We are well placed to explore further opportunities for growing our business and believe the Exchange's first year since listing has been important in establishing a solid platform for the future."

Download the full results announcement in word format here