Accountancy software group Sage said it had grown revenues slightly over the past year but was keeping a close eye on conditions in Europe, particularly France.
Organic revenue growth, which strips out acquisitions and disposals, was up 2% in the year, marking a slowdown from the 4% growth in 2011.
The company saw 6% growth in subscription revenue, but was hit by a 5% drop in software and software-related service revenue.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Underlying pre-tax profit was up 4% to £356.3m but underlying earnings per share dropped to 19.86p from 20.28p the year before.
The company put the latter down to an increase in tax rate from 23% to 29%.
It also cut its final dividend to 6.67p per share from 7.07p in 2011, however, the total dividend for the year was up 4% at 10.15p.
Chief Executive Guy Berruyer said a feature of the year had been the variable trading performance by geography.
"Europe's performance reflected good growth by the UK and Germany, offset by the impact of weaker markets in France and Spain," he said.
"North America delivered the anticipated improvement in the second half of the year while AAMEA continued to deliver very strong growth.
"As we look forward, the global macro-economic outlook remains uncertain and we are watchful of the environment in Europe, particularly in France," he added.
-
-
Act now: First Direct’s £175 switching bonus ending soon
First Direct has launched a £12,500 prize draw on top of its £175 cash bonus - but they both finish soon, so you’ll need to be quick
-
Credit card providers slash 0% balance transfer deals
Customers face a double whammy of rising interest rates and shorter 0% balance transfer periods. We look at what’s going on in the credit card market and why you’ll need to act fast to get the top 0% balance transfer deal
