Statistical Bulletin

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011

Coverage: UK Date: 06 July 2011 Geographical Area: UK and GB Theme: Economy

Profitability of UK Companies 1st Quarter 2011

Private Non-Financial Corporations net rate of return was 12.7 percent. Manufacturing companies net rate of return was 6.1 percent. Service companies net rate of return was 14.9 percent. The net rate of return of companies other than United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) companies was 11.3 percent. The net rate of return of UKCS companies was 47.6 percent.

Profitability of UK Companies 2011Q1

The net rate of return by private non-financial corporations in the first quarter of 2011 was 12.7 percent. This compares with the revised estimate of 12.5 percent in the previous quarter. The annual net rate of return in 2010 was 11.7 per cent. This compares with the estimate of 11.3 per cent for 2009.

Office for National Statistics | 1

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

SCT Net Rate of Return of PNFCs 2011Q1

Download chart XLS format (247 Kb) Net Rate of Return

2011Q1
Percent

Total

Manufacturing

Services

UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) 14.2 14.7 29.6 39.7

2009 2010

11.3 11.7

7.6 8.3

2009Q1 2009Q2 2009Q3 2009Q4 2010Q1 2010Q2 2010Q3 2010Q4

12.3 11.3 10.8 10.9 11.1 11.4 11.8 12.5

7.1 6.9 7.2 9.2 5.4 7.7 8.4 11.2

14.5 15.3 12.8 14.1 14.0 15.2 14.3 15.2

32.6 28.7 24.9 32.2 35.8 37.7 41.0 44.4

Office for National Statistics | 2

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

Total 2011Q1 Download table XLS format (13.5 Kb) 12.7

Manufacturing 6.1

Services 14.9

UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) 47.6

2011 User Feedback Survey: Profitability of UK Companies Take part in our user survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z9TRM7C

Manufacturing and Service Companies

Manufacturing Companies The net rate of return for manufacturing companies in the first quarter of 2011 is estimated at 6.1 percent. This is lower than the 2010 average of 8.3 percent and is the lowest value since the first quarter of 2010. Service Companies The net rate of return for service companies in the first quarter of 2011 is estimated at 14.9 percent. This is higher than the average for 2010 of 14.7 percent. SCT Net Rate of Return of Manufacturing (LRYC) and Services (LRYP) Companies 2011Q1

Office for National Statistics | 3

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

Download chart XLS format (248.5 Kb)

Non-United Kingdom Continental Shelf (non-UKCS) Companies

Non-UKCS companies comprise manufacturing, service and other companies (such as construction and power supply). The net rate of return for non-UKCS companies in the first quarter of 2011 is estimated at 11.3 percent. SCT Net Rate of Return of Non-UKCS Companies 2011Q1 LRXP

Download chart XLS format (244 Kb)

United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) Companies

The net rate of return for UKCS companies increased in the first quarter of 2011 to 47.6 percent, compared with the revised estimate of 44.4 percent recorded in the previous quarter. The rates of return for this industry broadly follow movements in oil and gas prices. Due to the nature of the capital assets employed, net rates of return for Continental Shelf companies are not directly comparable to those for other industries

Office for National Statistics | 4

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

SCT Net Rate of Return of PNFCs 2011Q1 LRXE

Download chart XLS format (245.5 Kb)

Background notes
1. Whats new? New background notes Following on from our announcement in the last statistical bulletin, ONS has re-formatted the content and format of the Background notes; it is implemented in this edition. New Website The launch of the new ONS website on 28 August 2011 will bring changes to the design and format of statistical bulletins. The bulletin main body will be in html and pdf format but detailed data tables will be available as Excel spreadsheets only. The new website will improve the way users can access our statistics but many existing bookmarks and links will no longer work and users will need to update them. Find out more at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/about/what-we-do/programmes---projects/web-development/index.html Upcoming Changes Private Non-financial Corporations (PNFCs) branch currently produces the statistical bulletin and tables in accordance with the 2003 UK Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC03).

Office for National Statistics | 5

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

There will be a move over to a system revised for 2007. From the 2011 quarter 2 release in October 2011, Profitability of UK companies will be classified on a 2007 UK SIC basis (SIC07). Further information can found at: www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14012 In line with the launch of the new website and changes to statistical bulletin formats, a preview of the proposed new pdf bulletin design is available at: www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/prof2011Q1.pdf Comments on the design and content are welcomed via the 2011 User Feedback Survey link given at the bottom of the front page of this bulletin. 2. Revisions Table R1 shows the revisions to the net rates of return since the last publication. Revisions have been made back to 2010 quarter one. These revisions are consistent with the data published in the latest Quarterly National Accounts Release, published 28 June 2011. Revisions have been introduced from the following sources: - New information from the Quarterly Operating Profits Survey. - New information from the Capital Expenditure Survey. Estimates for the most recent quarters are provisional and, as usual, are subject to revisions in the light of updated source information. The non-UKCS profits data from the first quarter of 2009 are derived from the ONS Quarterly Operating Profits Survey, which has a relatively small sample. 3. Additional information The underlying profits data used to calculate these rates of return are consistent with the Quarterly National Accounts First Release, published on 28 June 2011. The underlying capital stock data used to calculate these rates of return are based upon the data published in the Capital Stocks, Capital Consumption and Non-Financial Balance Sheets publication on 2 August 2010, updated with later information where available. 4. Private non-financial corporations (PNFCs) are comprised of UKCS, manufacturing, nonfinancial service sector companies and others (including construction, electricity and gas supply, agriculture, mining and quarrying). United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) companies are defined as those involved in the exploration for, and extraction of, oil and natural gas in the UK. The rates of return presented are ratios of operating surpluses compared to capital employed, expressed as percentages. The ratios measure the accounting rates of return achieved in a particular year against total capital employed. The rates of return are on the basis of current replacement cost and relate to United Kingdom operations of PNFCs. The net rate of return uses capital estimates which are net of capital consumption, and is more widely used than the

5.

Office for National Statistics | 6

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

gross rate of return. Rates of return are published for quarters and for years. In the absence of direct data for capital stock on a quarterly basis, standard statistical techniques have been used to estimate a quarterly series. The quarterly rates of return are available from the first quarter of 1989. The annual rates of return are available back to 1965 for total PNFCs. 6. 7. The gross operating surplus of PNFCs consists of gross trading profits, plus income from rental of buildings, less inventory holding gains. Gross trading profits include only that part of a company's income arising from trading activities in the UK. It does not include income from investments or other means, such as earnings from abroad. Gross trading profits are calculated before payments of dividends, interest and tax. The gross trading profits figures used in the calculation of gross operating surplus exclude the quarterly alignment adjustments applied to non-UKCS companies gross trading profits, as published in the Quarterly National Accounts. Inventory holding gains are the differences in the change in the book value of inventories measured at replacement cost and historic cost. The holding gain is subtracted from profits because revaluations are not considered to be part of economic activity, as defined for National Accounts purposes. Estimates of gross capital stock are a measure of the cost of replacing all produced capital assets held at a particular point in time. Capital employed is the value of fixed assets, plus the value of inventories. It measures the value at replacement cost of all fixed assets at the end of a calendar year. This includes all tangible assets and intangible assets which have been produced and are themselves repeatedly or continuously used in the processes of production for more than a year. Tangible assets include buildings, plant and machinery. Intangible assets include computer software and mineral exploration costs. For UKCS companies, capital employed includes mineral exploration costs and oil rigs, but not the oil and gas reserves that are classified as non-produced assets. Inventories include raw material and fuel that are used up in production. Book values are used for levels of inventories. Estimates of capital stock and capital consumption are produced using the Perpetual Inventory Method. Further details are available in the Capital Stocks, Capital Consumption and Non-Financial Balance Sheets publication, which was last published on 2 August 2010 : www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ Product.asp?vlnk=10730

8.

9.

10. In the calculations for net rates of return, estimates of net operating surplus are net of capital consumption (depreciation). Capital consumption is derived from capital stock and covers the depreciation of fixed assets over their service lives. Estimates of net capital are net of accumulated capital consumption; that is, they are a measure of the written down replacement costs of fixed assets. 11. Further information is contained in the Profitability Summary Quality Report via http:// www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/methodology-and-quality/quality/qual-info-economic-social-andbus-stats/quality-reports-for-economic-statistics/summary-quality-report-for-profitability-of-ukcompanies.pdf

Office for National Statistics | 7

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

12. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available from the media office. Also available is a list of the names of those given pre-publication access to the contents of this release. 13. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference. 14. Copyright and Reproduction Crown copyright 2011. You may use or re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, go to: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to: The Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. 15. Follow ONS on Twitter: www.twitter.com/statisticsONS and Facebook: www.facebook.com/ statisticsONS 16. Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available by visiting www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/index.html or from the Media Relations Office email: media.relations@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Copyright
Crown copyright 2011 You may use or re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This document is also available on our website at www.ons.gov.uk.

Statistical contacts
Name Phone Department Blackmore Denise +44 (0)1633 456660 Private NonFinancial Corporations Email profitability@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Office for National Statistics | 8

Profitability of UK Companies, Q1 2011 | 06 July 2011

Issuing Body: Office for National Statistics Media Contact Details: Telephone: 0845 604 1858 (8.30am-5.30pm Weekdays) Emergency out of hours (limited service): 07867 906553 Email: media.relations@ons.gsi.gov.uk

Office for National Statistics | 9