Plus500 splashes cash on investors after US expansion bears fruit
Plus500 has kicked off another round of bumper returns to shareholders after delivering its highest customer income in five years following expansion into the US market.
The FTSE 250 fintech recorded revenue of $462.9m for the first half of the year, up 12 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile customer income, which measures revenue generated directly from client trading activities, surged 24 per cent to $461m.
The momentum came as the group rapidly scaled in the United States, with a focus on segments outside of its traditional over-the-counter (OTC) business, including futures and physical share dealing.
Non-OTC revenue jumped 30 per cent year-on-year to just shy of $70m, meaning it accounted for 15 per cent of the group’s total revenue. Plus500 said the division was on track to make $140m in annual revenue.
The trading group revealed another $182.5m (£135m) in investor returns on Monday, made up of a $100m buyback and $82.5m in dividends. This put the firm’s total capital handed back to shareholders since its 2013 IPO at $3.1bn, equating to a 12,000 per cent total shareholder return over the thirteen-year period.
The return makes it the best-performing stock across the FTSE All-Share Index over that period.
Plus500 pivots into sports predictions market
During the first half, the group rolled out event-based prediction contracts, which are financial derivatives where a user pays a fixed amount on a yes-or-no outcome of a future occurrence. The service has mainly focused on major US sporting events including the football, basketball and baseball.
Despite the revenue jump, group earnings before tax inched up just one per cent to $188m, reflecting the firm’s decision to hike marketing investment in a bid to capture customers with deeper pockets.
Operating costs rose by a fifth to $278.5m, driven by a $16m step-up in marketing spend.
Plus500 chief executive David Zruia said he expects the group’s full-year performance to land in line with market expectations of $811.5m in revenue and earnings before tax of $365.1m.