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United Utilities Spends £993m in First Half

United Utilities has spent £993.2m on regulated capital projects in the first half and expects to deliver more than £2bn this year, but the shares were little changed, and the cost showed up in earnings and debt.

United Utilities (LON: UU.), the water and wastewater group, said more than £2bn of capital investment will be delivered this year, with £993.2m already spent in the first half. The shares barely moved on the half-year results.

The stock stood at 1,546p in a delayed quote at 08:45 London time, up 0.39% on yesterday’s close of 1,540p. That leaves it below its 52-week high of 1,584p, set intraday last Thursday.

UU.LSE

The results, published at 7am today, showed net regulatory capital expenditure up 74.7% to £993.2m, from £568.5m a year earlier. Chief executive Louise Beardmore set out the scale of the programme.

Our capital investment will grow significantly, with more than £2 billion being delivered this year as part of our largest ever five-year programme.

Louise Beardmore, chief executive, United Utilities

Beardmore said the programme is on track and fully funded, supported by financial performance and the £800m of new equity raised in April.

That raise issued 60,975,610 new shares, and it explains the cost to shareholders. Underlying earnings per share were 56.3p, against 57.2p a year earlier on a pro forma basis, a fall of 1.6%. As originally reported, the prior-year figure was 52.8p. Net debt rose to £9,805m from £9,610m, with gearing at 56%, inside the company’s 55% to 65% target range.

Bar chart comparing United Utilities' net regulatory capital expenditure in two half-years, markedly higher in the latest period
Net regulatory capex in the six months to 30 September rose from £568.5m to £993.2m, according to United Utilities’ half-year report.

The spending feeds the asset base on which the company earns regulated returns. Regulatory capital value rose 9.5% to £17,492m. Underlying operating profit was £578.7m, up 6.9% on a pro forma £541.6m, and revenue rose 11.7% to £1,462.0m.

The interim dividend rises 3.5% to 18.51p, with the ex-dividend date on the 17th of December and payment on the 1st of February. For the 2027 financial year, the company points to a dividend of 55.54p and asset base growth of about 10%.

One item remains unresolved. Proactive Investors reports that an Ofwat enforcement case over wastewater is still pending, with a possible penalty of about £150m, equal to 10% of relevant wastewater turnover. The company has made no provision for it.

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