Aristocrat Leisure Limited has confirmed it will pay its shareholders a dividend of AU$0.14 cents per share for the six months ended 31 March 2017 on the back of strong first half growth.
The company reported growth across the board for 1H17, with revenue up 21.6% to AU$1.23 billion year-on-year and EBITDA up 34% from AU$372.4 million to AU$498.9 million. Net profit after tax and before amortization of acquired intangibles (NPATA) grew 49% for the period to AU$272.9 million.
“This result reflected the strong performance delivered across the Group’s global portfolio, particularly growth in Aristocrat’s Americas, Digital and International Class III businesses, supported by sustained momentum in Australia,” it said in a filing to the Australian Securities Exchange.
Aristocrat’s AU$0.14 dividend – worth a combined AU$89.4 million – represented a 40% increase year-on-year and is expected to be paid on 3 July 2017.
CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker said, “Aristocrat delivered outstanding results over the first half of fiscal 2017. Industry leading content, hardware and technology translated into exceptional operational performance despite competitive market conditions.
“Aristocrat is fully focused on growing our core business while investing wisely to capture attractive opportunities in adjacent segments and markets over time.
“Aristocrat’s strong balance sheet, improving debt ratios and substantial liquidity position provides us with ample flexibility for continued investment going forward, consistent with our strategy and shareholders’ interests.”
Aristocrat said it expects normalized NPATA growth of between 20% and 30% for the full year.
