It’s not what you sell, it’s the way that you sell it

This report is intended to help UK small- and mid-cap investors gain a better understanding of software companies’ routes to market, and to highlight how one of the most important facets of the way in which they grow and deliver value is routinely ignored.  We examine sales processes for six UK-listed companies and one that has recently been taken over, and consider why they have followed their respective paths.

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: FY23 delivered – preparing for the next phase

Idox’s results for the year to 31 October are in line with the November trading update. Revenue grew 11% to £73.3m (FY22: £66.2m), with the principal driver being growth in the LP&PP division. Adjusted EBITDA improved 9% to £24.5m with a margin of 33%, vs £22.5m and 34% for FY22, respectively. With free cashflow generation of £9.1m (FY22: £7.2m), net debt at the year-end was £14.7m (FY22: £6.7m). The outlook statement is confident, but we have revised our forecasts to reflect increased spending

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Resilience plus, as expected

Today’s trading update for the year ended 31 October confirms another year of robust performance, with key figures in line with expectations. Order intake and revenue are both up c.11%, at £82m and c.£73m, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA of c.£24.5m is an improvement of 9% on last year. Perhaps most encouraging is net debt at £14.7m, somewhat better than our expectation of £15.9m after the recent acquisition of Emapsite. Management has new, larger financing facilities in place, on better terms tha

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Emapsite acquisition – accretive, strategic

The purchase of Emapsite, a leading UK geospatial software and data business, announced on 21 August, is an exciting step forward in Idox’s land and property strategy. Our forecast revisions indicate that the deal will be earnings accretive, while the announcement suggests that, with further debt available, the acquisition pipeline is both healthy and deliverable.

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 08 Jun 23

8th June 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objectiv

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Long-term value generation becomes clearer

Idox has today reported a strong set of half-year results for the six months ended 30 April 2023. Revenue grew by 8% to £35.8m from £33.2m in H1 FY22 and adjusted EBITDA of £12.1m was 10% above H1 FY22’s figure. Recurring revenues grew broadly in line with the headline revenue figure, while the adjusted EBITDA margin was slightly ahead at 34% (H1 FY22: 33%). The half saw Idox move from net debt (FY22: £-6.7m) to net cash (H1 FY23: £1.1m). Order intake grew, with the overall figure of £52m being

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 18 May 23

18th May 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objectiv

PROGRESSIVE: Idox - Trading well, with no signs of turbulence

Today’s AGM trading update, covering the period from 1 November to date, confirms that Idox continues to perform well, having made an encouraging start to the financial year and with excellent visibility on revenues for FY23. The robust story and positive outlook we have seen growing in recent years looks set to continue.

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Flying start to FY23

Idox’s results for the year ended 31 October 2022, released on Thursday 26 January, showed a strong performance in line with guidance given in the November trading update. Revenue of £66.2m was an increase of 6% on FY21, driven by strong growth in the public sector business; within this, recurring revenues grew by 12% to £40.5m. Adjusted EBITDA of £22.5m, up by 15% from £19.5m in FY21, was at an improved 34% margin (FY21: 31%) driven by operational improvements, acquisitions and mix. Year-end

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 26 Jan 23

26 January 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment object

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Trading update shows strategy driving results

Idox has today released a trading update for the year ended 31 October 2022. The statement reports a strong performance, with particularly encouraging news on order flow and sales of Idox Cloud. We have adjusted our forecasts for FY23 and FY24 to reflect new assumptions around cash payments and working capital. Management expectations for FY23 are maintained and the year has started well. The update reflects the progress over recent years and the strong position Idox holds, which should allow fu

PROGRESSIVE: Idox: Sharp eye for acquisitions

The acquisition of LandHawk Software Services for £1.5m, announced yesterday, marks a continuation of Idox’s existing acquisition strategy, building on the purchases in 2021 of Aligned Assets, thinkWhere and ExeGesIS. LandHawk is a land mapping software and GIS data business that currently specialises in the UK renewable energy industry. The transaction brings an interesting, growing business to Idox, while also increasing Idox’s client base and allowing cross-selling opportunities into the grou

Tracsis - Interims: FY order book visibility and a doubled pipeline

Interims to January are in line with the February TU, and materially unchanged forecasts for the FY July 2024. After the well flagged expected 1H24 revenue movement of -7% (vs 1H23 which had been strengthened by c£2m perpetual licence sales in the US), prospects for the second half are supported by several new contracts that will generate revenue in 2H24, in addition to material contract delivery milestones from existing large projects such as major TRACS Enterprise, Railhub deployments, and Rem

Eleco - FY23 recurring revenue growth of +22%, EBITDA +2% ahead

Eleco’s FY23 results show robust organic recurring revenue growth of +17% with recurring revenue +22% to £20.7m, adj EBITDA +2% ahead of the January update, and a confident outlook with Q1 ARR already at £24.5m vs £22.6m at FY23. At this point, the excellent start to FY24 leads us to reiterate our FY24-26E revenue, adj EBITDA, EFCF, and DPS, and we include the April 2024 acquisition of Vertical Digital in our FY24-26E net cash, as we explain below. As Eleco builds upon the successful acquisition

An excellent win, momentum rebuilding

Made Tech has won a material expansion (worth up to £19.5m/2yrs) with a long-standing customer, The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (“DLUHC”). Coming off the back of a soft H1 bookings performance, we expect this win to materially boost investor sentiment and reassure how notwithstanding a tough backdrop (given an impending general election) MTEC continues to outcompete legacy providers and in-so-doing, grow its share of wallet with large/strategic customers. Landing near FY

Morning Note – 24 April 2024

LIBERUM: 1Spatial: Walk the talk and get SaaSy

LIBERUM: Cerillion: Continued strong trading in 1H

Alphawave Semi - FY23 results, 1Q24 trading update

Following the updated guidance published last week, Alphawave reported a 74% YoY increase in revenue to US$321.7m for FY23 generating adjusted EBITDA of US$62.6m, up 34% YoY. As previewed, bookings in 1Q24 were strong at US$117.9m, up 20% YoY and ahead of guidance. The results release and conference call confirm that revised guidance mainly reflects a more conservative approach to revenue recognition under new CFO, Rahul Mathur, and an acceleration in the pace at which Alphawave is pivoting away

tinyBuild (TBLD LN) - Focused on H2 recovery

tinyBuild’s FY23 results confirmed a sharp drop in revenue and swing into adjusted EBITDA losses, as well as asset impairments and high cash burn. After already making $10m of annualised cost savings, the company continues to run-down its cash balance and now relies on a H2-weighted release schedule to reduce cash outflows.

Morning Note – 23 April 2024

To infinity…

Cerillion has announced a very solid update, as H1 sales and EBITDA are both up 10% y/y to £22.5m and £10.9m respectively, notwithstanding the exceptionally strong base period (sales and EBITDA +27% and +38% resp.). Results therefore point to continued strong customer demand, reflecting how Cerillion’s out-of-the-box product continues to resonate and gain adoption, particularly in a ‘budget conscious’ environment, by offering faster time to market, greater configurability and at a lower cost. Me

Synectics + (SNX, House Stock at 188p) - Positive AGM statement

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 24 April 24

24th April 2024 * A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by type of listing and date of announcement *** Alphabetically arranged **** Potential means Intention to Float (ITF) has been announced Dish of the day Admissions: Delistings: What’s baking in the oven? ** Potential**** Initial Public Offerings: Reverse Takeovers: 16 April 2024: Electric Guitar (ELEG.L) Concurrent with its Admission to trading on AIM, Electric Guitar is proposing to acquire the entire issued share capital of 3radi

In-line H1, strategic initiatives advancing at pace

As reported in March, underlying EBITDA profitability improved to record levels despite FX headwinds. Further platform and proposition developments were completed, key steps on its digital roadmap, and it has already won 7 contracts YTD. Alongside planned growth in private membership, this will at least offset the loss of one contract. Forecasts are left unchanged today and, as member engagement throttles back up, FX headwinds ease, and proof points of digital efficiency emerge, markets should b

itim - Further professional services contract secured with The Entertainer

itim is a disruptive SaaS-based platform that enables store-based retailers to implement a proven Omni-channel solution. This morning, the group has announced an additional professional services contract with its long-standing client, The Entertainer. Following a year-long trial, The Entertainer is opening in over 800 Tesco stores across the UK & Ireland, alongside a supplier agreement for Tesco stores across Central Europe. Under the contract, The Entertainer will extend its use of itim's Unify

Alphawave Semi: FY23 trading update, amended forward guidance

Alphawave Semi has reduced guidance for FY23 and prospectively citing lower revenues from China, changes in expected revenue recognition from long-term contracts, and continuing investment in R&D. The share price has reacted negatively, giving up most of the gains since the trading statement at the end of January. Current consensus, which is a good match for pre-existing guidance, should be reduced, most likely following release of the FY23 results and full 1Q24 trading update due on 23 April. H