Rolls Royce earns a short break from not being complacent

Two years after Rolls-Royce embarked on a root-and-branch revamp, the success of which is increasingly evident, it’s still quite predictable that CEO Warren East cautions that “this is no time for complacency”.

As prudent as East’s admonition is in the face of “in-service issues in Civil Aerospace”, the group’s 51% revenue generator, and others, a 6% rise in underlying revenue in the first half to $6.9bn and underlying pre-tax profit that was 70% above average forecast are orienting investor sentiment more subtly to continuing risks. Rolls-Royce shares traded at a 26-month high on Tuesday morning, up almost 10% on the day, easily their best day of the year.

Shareholders were applying a similarly moderate abstraction to Rolls’ most newsworthy theme of late, the possibility that it might not hit its £1bn cash flow target by 2020. The negative £339m free cash flow result in H1 was after all not as negative as the £585m expected. And now, with restructuring savings ahead of plan, the negative half-year balance is also partly a function of the rise in Rolls’ R&D bill as planned—it increased by almost 9% in H1—whilst the group is doubling production of larger civil aero engines. It’s notable that RR’s underlying operating margin nevertheless expanded 220 basis points to 2.6%.

This all makes the group’s reiterated outlook one of the least credible aspects of its official prospects following the first half—again that is down to management predilection. The group was no more specific in February than to state that it foresees “modest” improvement in profits, and that free cash flow generation would be similar to 2016 (£973m). Tuesday’s stock market reaction thereby shows investors are attempting to close to the gap between due caution and an almost completely renewed Rolls-Royce that is likely to easily increase profits by more than the low single-digit amount guidance implies.

After the stock’s 34% rise in 2017 up to Monday’s close, and with profitability and cash generation now all-but cemented in a more sustainable footing, similar upside into the second half of the year may still be a big ask, but a significant drift lower is unlikely.

StoneX Financial Ltd (trading as “City Index”) is an execution-only service provider. This material, whether or not it states any opinions, is for general information purposes only and it does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. This material has been prepared using the thoughts and opinions of the author and these may change. However, City Index does not plan to provide further updates to any material once published and it is not under any obligation to keep this material up to date. This material is short term in nature and may only relate to facts and circumstances existing at a specific time or day. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment, legal, tax or other advice and no reliance should be placed on it.

No opinion given in this material constitutes a recommendation by City Index or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The material has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research. Although City Index is not specifically prevented from dealing before providing this material, City Index does not seek to take advantage of the material prior to its dissemination. This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

For further details see our full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFD and Forex Trading are leveraged products and your capital is at risk. They may not be suitable for everyone. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved by reading our full risk warning.

City Index is a trading name of StoneX Financial Ltd. Head and Registered Office: 1st Floor, Moor House, 120 London Wall, London, EC2Y 5ET. StoneX Financial Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, number: 05616586. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Register Number: 446717.

City Index is a trademark of StoneX Financial Ltd.

The information on this website is not targeted at the general public of any particular country. It is not intended for distribution to residents in any country where such distribution or use would contravene any local law or regulatory requirement.