Profit jumped 34 percent at Derrimon Trading in the first quarter of the current financial year, to reach $99 million up from $74 million in 2019, following a 5.5 percent increase in revenue to $3.3 billion from $3.15 billion in the March 2019 quarter.
The significant improvement in the bottom-line compared to the slimmer revenue growth is driven by an increase that was more than twice the growth in revenues in the gross profit margin of 11 percent from 2019, resulting in gross profit rising to $613 million up. Direct expenses rose 4 percent, from $2.6 billion in March 2019 to $2.7 billion in March 2020.
The Group also recorded other income of $22.6 million compared to $5 million in 2019 that helped in driving profit for the quarter. Excluding the increase in other income net profit would have climbed by only 10 percent and much closer to the increase in sales. Other income includes gains from the disposal of plant, property rental and other inflows. Administrative expenses rose a strong 16 percent to $373 million, from $321 million in 2019, while selling and distribution expenses grew by a much more moderate 7 percent to $100 million and resulted in total operating costs of $473 million, a 13 percent increase over March 2019 of $414 million. The group provision for taxation on profit amounts to $7.6 million versus $5.5 million in 2019.
Caribbean Flavours a Derrimon’s subsidiary
The group generated cash inflows from operating activities of $153 million, working capital needs plunged the group into a negative cash position of $208 million. At the same time, loan repayment pushed the cash burn, down to $271 million, leaving cash funds at $239 million, down from $510 million at the end of December 2019. The group, however, has $246 million in investments as well. Net current assets ended the period at $2.2 billion. Current assets increased sharply by 17 percent from $3.39 billion to $3.9 billion, with inventories rising stunning 70 percent from $1.16 billion at the end of March 2019, but down slightly from the December 2019 position, to end the 2020 first quarter at $2 billion. Receivables were down 15 percent to $1.4 billion compared to March 2019. Current liabilities were down by 20 percent to $1.7 Billion, with Payables the largest component, down 18 percent to $1.1 billion. At the end of March, shareholders’ equity stood at $1.4 billion, an 11 percent increase over March 2019, but the group continues to use a high degree of leveraging in funding its operations. Loans amounted to $2.3 billion at the end of March, with lease financing standing at $1 billion.
Earnings per share came out at 3.4 cents for the quarter and IC Insider.com forecast is for 22 cents per share for PE of 10.2 times 2020 earnings at the closing stock of $2.25 on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
