Today, we’ve announced our 2018 results which are consistent with our earnings and cash guidance for the year. The stand out performance has been in business winning, with a record annual order intake leading to a 25% increase and an all-time high for our defence order backlog. This achievement gives us excellent visibility for sales growth in the coming years.
The headline financial figures for the year include:
- Order intake increased by £8.0bn to £28.3bn
- Order backlog increased by £9.7bn to £48.4bn
- Sales were little changed at £18.4bn
- Underlying EBITA decreased by £46m to £1,928m
- Underlying EPS increased by 2% to 42.9p
- Increased dividend of 22.2 pence per share – the 15th consecutive year of dividend growth
Major competitive wins secured in the year further strengthen our outlook and geographic base, while also maintaining a balanced mix of platforms, services and electronics within our portfolio.
Our clear and consistent strategy is delivering results and our investment in technology and our people continues to position us for the long term.
Our number one priority is on strong programme performance to ensure we meet our customers’ requirements. This will position us well to secure future opportunities and deliver top and bottom line growth and improving cash flows in the coming years.