The new financial year has started strongly with a strong pipeline of opportunities and a lower cost base following an expanded rationalisation programme that resulted in most regions delivering a profit YTD in FY23. The results for FY22 were broadly in line with revised expectations, although the lack of forward visibility results in a continued suspension of estimates. That said, we expect FY23 to prove to be a turning point in the Group’s fortunes as utilisation levels improve now that projects are serviced globally.
We are still suspending estimates reflecting a lack of visibility and ongoing uncertainty. While this makes the construction of forward-looking valuation models difficult, we highlight the NAV and within this the level of net cash at the FY22 year end. A historic FY22 price/book ratio amounts to 1.0x, on a book value of £16.4m, which equates to 29.8p/share. Furthermore, £4.9m or 9.1p/share of this is in cash, representing 30.7% of the Group’s NAV.
Comparing DRV to a wider consultancy peer group that trades on an average historic P/B ratio of 4.7x, suggests that DRV (on 1x NAV) remains significantly undervalued. We retain our fair value/share of 49p.
