DCC companies lose $882k and debt climbs

The Dunedin City Council's group of companies made a loss of $882,000 in the six months to the end of 2019 amid fears coronavirus could further drag down profits.

Dunedin City Holding Ltd (DCHL) group chairman Keith Cooper said the result was as expected and reflected the substantial re-investment underway within the group, particularly at Aurora Energy Ltd.

Meanwhile debt across the companies and the DCC has climbed from $647 million at the end of 2018 to $739 million at the end of last year.

DCHL group had forecasted to make a loss in 2020 and 2021 financial years, and return to profitability in the 2022 financial year.

"At this stage, we expect full year results to broadly meet the forecasts in our Statement of Intent.

"However, we are closely monitoring the impact of coronavirus on the Group, particularly at City Forests Ltd,” Mr Cooper said.

Total revenue 31 December 31 2019 was in line with budget and higher than the same period last year.

Across the Group operating costs were higher than the same period last year, but lower than what was budgeted for this six month period.

The further reduction in cost of funds achieved by Dunedin City Treasury Ltd has continued to make a favourable contribution across the group.

DCHL remained on track to distribute $5.9 million within the financial year to DCC by way of interest, in line with expectations.

No dividend was forecast for this year, given the financial result.

“With some subsidiaries embarking on a substantial re-investment programme, it’s prudent to ensure a balance between distributions and using internally generated surpluses to fund re-investment.

“This re-investment is essential to building sustainable future earnings and restoring dividends to Dunedin City Council.”

The group’s overall debt, managed by Dunedin City Treasury Ltd, increased over the half year, as forecast.

This was principally driven by increased capital expenditure at Aurora Energy and Dunedin City Council. The continued reduction in the cost of the group’s funds over the year was welcome in the context of increasing debt.

Group term borrowings totalled $739 million (excluding shareholder’s advance). This included $231 million Dunedin City Council debt, $88 million stadium debt, and operating company borrowings of $374 million.

Mr Cooper said these figures compared favourably with the book value of DCHL group’s assets, which now sit at $1.42 billion

Cash from operations remained strong at $20.3 million.

“The ability of the group to maintain strong operational cash flows is important to meet future dividend and capital investment requirements,” Mr Cooper says.

The outlook for most DCHL group companies for the second half of the financial year remains stable.

However, City Forests Ltd is likely to have lower sales as a result of market disruption due to the coronavirus.