Private education group Advtech said the turnaround in its tertiary education division had been successful and a sound pattern of enrolment growth was evident throughout its businesses.
College Campus, part of the Independent Institute of Education, one of Advtech's tertiary education brands. Image:
ShowMeThe company‚ which reported its results this week‚ said it was able to show a 17% increase in group operating profit before interest of R117.4m with the operating margin growing 12.2% in the six months to June.
The tertiary division comprises of The Independent Institute of Education‚ Rosebank College‚ Design School Southern Africa‚ Varsity College and Vega.
The tertiary division's contribution to revenue grew by 10% to R412m and contributed 43% of group revenue.
"Operating profit improved by 97% to R42m after the successful completion of restructuring and strong enrolment of first-year and continuing students‚" the company said.
Diluted headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the period were up 13% to 20c while group revenue grew by 9% to R959.2m from the same period last year.
Advtech declared an interim dividend of 11c per share.
The company said it was satisfied that a trend of earnings growth had been re-established. It said the increased investments in the schools division continued to pose a short-term challenges for operating margins but the outlook for the medium-term and beyond was promising.
"In the next year the group will invest further in its strong and well-established brands while also exploring new projects and partnerships to extend market reach and its geographic footprint across Africa. A particular focus is the development of innovative‚ technology-enabled‚ low-fee schools‚" it said.
"All in all‚ the directors are satisfied that the group's results and the trends evident in them are positive forward indicators. As a result‚ the group will continue to identify and implement growth and investment opportunities in our high-growth sectors‚" Advtech said.