TClarke unveils annual profit decline in tough construction market
UK building services contractor TClarke reported a 75 per cent drop in annual pre-tax profits on Tuesday, reflecting market challenges and property disposal.
UK building services contractor TClarke reported a 75 per cent drop in annual pre-tax profits on Tuesday, reflecting market challenges and property disposal.
Profit before tax for the year ended December 31st, 2012, came to £1.2m, down from £4.9m the previous year which benefited from a £2.2m property disposal.
The firm said underlying operating profit fell to £2.9m from £4.7m, blaming margin pressures in the market. Underlying operating profit margin dropped to 1.5% from 2.6%.
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
However, turnover increased 5.5% to £193.8m, compared to £183.8m in 2011, as the group secured new contracts with the likes of JP Morgan, IMG Media, ITV Studios and Arcadia. The order book grew to £230m from £190m.
"TClarke and our people delivered a solid, profitable performance despite all the challenges of the construction sector," said Chief Executive Officer Mark Lawrence.
"We have an excellent forward order book with good visibility to a number of fully committed high quality opportunities particularly in the London commercial market."
The company improved its net cash position to £5.6m at year-end, up from £0.6m a year earlier.
TClarke proposed a final dividend of 2.0p per share, in line with the last year.
Looking ahead, the group expects to experience fierce competition for available workload and continuing margin pressure in 2013.
Shares declined 1.52% to 54.90p at 08:24 Tuesday.
RD
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
-
UK-US trade deal announced: US cuts tariffs on UK car imports to 10%
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have announced a UK-US trade deal, but the US president has refused to lift baseline tariffs on most UK goods. What does it mean for the UK?
-
How to use mid-caps to diversify from the US
Medium sized companies are overlooked by investors but could offer an attractive ‘sweet spot’. We consider the case for mid-caps amid market volatility.