Ipsos: Total growth of 4.7% and good profitability and cash generation in the first half

Total growth of 4.7% and good profitability and cash generation in the first half

Total growth: 4.7%

Organic growth: 3.8%

Operating margin: 10.1%

Free cash flow: €80 million

Paris, 24 July 2024 – Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, generated a revenue of €1,138.5 million in the first half of the year, an increase of €51.4 million compared with the first half of 2023. 

First-half growth stands at 4.7%, including 3.8% organic growth, -1.8% of adverse currency effects, and 2.8% scope effects, linked in particular to the acquisitions of I&O Research in the Netherlands (leader in social and political surveys), Jarmany in the UK (data management and analysis specialist) and B&A in Ireland (expert in opinion and social research studies, as well as market studies), which are achieving good performances a few months after their integration.

Ben Page, CEO of Ipsos, stated: “Ipsos has once again demonstrated the resilience of its operating model, illustrated by organic growth of nearly 4% and a very good level of profitability and cash generation in the first half of the year. Despite a cyclical slowdown linked to elections in many countries (as US, UK, France, India) and specific headwinds in the United States, overall our geographical diversity, the breadth of our range of solutions, our unique expertise and our technological breakthroughs are key fundamentals that enable us to pursue our growth strategy.”

PERFORMANCE BY REGION

Total                                1,138.5               100%                   4.7%                      3.8%

The EMEA region recorded solid organic growth of 7.6% in the first half, driven by Continental Europe and the Middle East. In particular, new management started showing impact in Germany, and with Italy, recorded double-digit growth over the half-year period. The good momentum of recent acquisitions boosted total growth in the region to 10%.

Business in the Americas was down slightly. Latin America maintains a good momentum. In the United States, the solid performance in the consumer goods sector, the very strong performance of our Ipsos Digital platform and the recovery of our activity with major Big Tech clients are confirmed. However, our performance in this region is impacted by the electoral cycle and the end of major one-off contracts which are weighing on our public affairs activities, and by a wave of restructuring by major players in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to these factors, the US suffered from a lack of management for over 6 months. The recent implementation of a new management organization should allow us to stabilize the situation and to gradually return to growth in North America.

The Asia-Pacific region posted organic growth of 4.0% over the semester. Growth in China remains weak due to a lack of macroeconomic clarity. The rest of the region saw a slowdown in activity during the second quarter, after an excellent first quarter. Some contracts will be finalized later than initially anticipated and should drive activity in the second half of the year, particularly in India.

PERFORMANCE BY AUDIENCE

_Total                                 1,138.5                  100%                  4.7%                   3.8%

Breakdown of Service Lines by audience segment:

1- Brand Health Tracking, Creative Excellence, Innovation, Ipsos UU, Ipsos MMA, Market Strategy &

Understanding, Observer (excl. public sector), Ipsos Synthesio, Strategy3

2- Automotive & Mobility Development, Audience Measurement, Customer Experience, Channel

Performance (Mystery Shopping and Shopper), Media Development, ERM, Capabilities 3- Public Affairs, Corporate Reputation

4- Pharma (quantitative and qualitative)

Our consumer activities recorded organic growth of 8.0%, reflecting the very good performance in all geographies of our service lines linked to brand health tracking, innovation, advertising creation and our qualitative surveys. Solid performance in the consumer goods sector contributed to this segment’s good performance. 

The clients and employees, citizens, and doctors and patients audiences continue to be affected by the difficult environment in the United States. Outside the United States, they posted overall growth of nearly 5%. 

New services (platforms, ESG offers, data analytics and advisory) now account for 21.5% of Group revenue. Organic growth was 13%, driven by Ipsos Digital, our DIY solution, which grew by 37% this semester. 

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Summary income statement

Adjusted net income* (attributable to owners of the             82.3     70.1     17.5% 228.6 parent)

*Adjusted net profit is calculated before (i) non-monetary items related to IFRS 2 (Share-based Payment), (ii) the amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets (client relations), (iii) the impact of other non-current income and expenses, net of tax, (iv) the non-monetary impact of changes in puts and other financial income and expenses, and (v) deferred tax liabilities related to goodwill for which amortisation is deductible in some countries. 

Income statement items

Gross margin is up 80 basis points to 68.5% compared to 67.7% for last year at this point. This increase in the gross margin ratio is mostly due to (i) the strong growth of Ipsos Digital, whose gross margin rate is significantly higher than the Group average, (ii) the increase in the internalisation of data collection following our investments in our panels.

In terms of operating costs, the payroll rose by 3.3%, compared with a 6% increase in gross margin. This increase reflects a cautious recruitment policy to (i) support our growth, (ii) invest in our technological developments and (iii) strengthen the internalisation of our operations. As at 30 June, the ratio of payroll to gross margin was 68.3%, compared to 70% last year, and remains significantly lower than the pre-pandemic situation (above 72% in 2019). 

Overhead costs increased by €8.3 million, mainly due to (i) an increase in IT and technology expenditure reflecting the implementation of our strategic plan and (ii) a perimeter effect linked to the acquisitions of 11 companies since 2023. The ratio of overhead costs to gross margin was 14.9%; like payroll, this ratio remains significantly lower than in 2019 (18.3%).

“Other operating income and expenses”, which mainly consists of severance costs, has a negative balance of €7.7 million, down by €2 million compared to the previous year.

Overall, the operating margin stands at 10.1% for the first half of 2024, an increase of 140 basis points compared to last year.  

Net interest expense came to €5.7 million compared with €6.6 million last year, reflecting the fall in the Group’s gross debt between the first half of 2023 and the first half of 2024. 

The effective tax rate is 26.0%, compared to 25.8% in the first half of 2023.

Net income attributable to owners of the parent is €78 million, compared to €56 million in the first half of 2023, an increase of 38.3%.

Adjusted net income attributable to owners of the parent is also up at €82 million, compared to €70 million last year, an increase of 17.5%.

Financial structure

Cash flow. Cash flow from operations stands at €177 million, compared to €137 million in the first half of 2023, an increase of €40 million euros, in line with the rise in pre-tax net income.

Working capital requirement improved significantly by €35 million in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period of 2023. As expected, a high level of customer cash collection was recorded in the first half of 2024, in line with the strong level of revenue in the last quarter of 2023.  

Investments in property, plant and equipment and intangible assets consist mainly of investments in IT infrastructure and technology and amounted to €32 million in the first half. These investments are up 20%, in line with the implementation of our platforms and technologies roadmap. 

Overall, free cash flow from operating activities is €80 million, a €56 million increase compared to last year.

Regarding non-current investments, Ipsos invested over €28 million in the first half of the year, including through the acquisition of Jarmany in the United Kingdom and I&O Research in the Netherlands in January 2024.

Lastly, financing activities for the first half of 2024 include share buybacks in connection with the delivery of free share plans for Group employees.

Equity stood at €1,421 million at 30 June 2024, compared to €1,433 million at 31 December 2023. 

Net financial debt amounted to €100 million, down from €120 million at 31 December 2023 and 129 million at 30 June 2023. The leverage ratio (calculated excluding the IFRS 16 impact) was 0.3 times EBITDA (compared to 0.3 times at 31 December 2023 and 0.4 at 30 June 2023).

Cash position. Cash at 30 June 2024 amounted to €283 million, compared to €278 million at 31 December 2023.

The Group has an excellent level of liquidity with nearly €500 million in credit lines maturing in over one year, and no debt maturing in 2024.

OUTLOOK 

Thanks to the resilience of its operating model and its strong ability to adapt in challenging macro-economic and geopolitical environments, Ipsos is continuing its growth trajectory and improved its profitability and cash generation in the first half of the year. The Group is in a very good position to continue financing its growth, investments and acquisitions. A few months after their integration, the latest acquisitions achieve a good performance.

In the technological field, the Group is actively pursuing the implementation of its roadmap, both the reboot of its digital data collection engine, and new investments in Artificial Intelligence, by launching new offers based on Ipsos Facto, its own generative AI platform. The Group launched Ipsos PersonaBot, a solution that enables companies to converse with personas representing target consumer segments; and Creative Spark AI, an advertising evaluation solution that predicts human reactions to TV and social videos using a combination of Artificial Intelligence and a large database of real data. 

Organic growth in the first half of the year was weaker than expected, particularly at the end of the second quarter. This partly reflects the impact of the electoral cycle and the wait-and-see attitude that result from elections in many countries this year (United States, United Kingdom, France and India notably). 

Moreover, the context did not improve in the second quarter in the United States. Once the uncertainties related to the presidential election and the restructuring of the pharmaceutical sector have dissipated, the recent appointment of a new CEO in North America and the implementation of a new management organization should enable a return to growth in this region by the beginning of next year. 

In the short term, we are adjusting downwards our organic growth target for 2024 and now anticipate an organic growth close to that of last year (+3%). At the same time, the increase in gross margin and the good cost management discipline allow us to maintain our operating margin target of around 13%.

***

Presentation of half-year results

The 2024 half-year results will be presented on Friday, 25 July 2024 at 8:30 a.m. CET via webcast.

If you would like to register, please contact IpsosCommunications@Ipsos.com.

A replay will also be made available on Ipsos.com

Appendices

•       Consolidated income statement

•       Statement of financial position  

•       Consolidated cash flow statement

•       Statement of changes in consolidated equity

The complete consolidated financial statements as at 31 December 2023 are availableon Ipsos.com

Notes

Consolidated income statement, Interim financial statements at June 30, 2024

* Adjusted for non-cash items related to IFRS 2 (share-based compensation), amortization of intangible assets identified on acquisitions (customer relations), deferred tax liabilities related to goodwill for which amortization is deductible in some countries, the impact net of tax of other non-operating income and expenses and the non-cash impact of changes in puts in other financial income and expenses.

Statement of financial position, Interim financial statements at June 30, 2024

     TOTAL LIABILITIES                                                                     2,698,773                     2,637,303            2,752,756

Consolidated statement of cash flows, Interim financial statements at June 30, 2024