JSE-listed Rhodes Food Group advised shareholders on Tuesday that the group expected earnings per share (EPS) and headline earnings per share (HEPS) to increase for the six months to March 29.
The company said it was likely that EPS would climb to between 53% and 58% from the 17.1c recorded in the six months to March 30, 2014, to between 26.2c and 27c for the period under review.
HEPS, which stood at 16.9c a share in the comparable 2014 period, was expected to be between 55% and 60% higher at 26.2c to 27c.
The earnings guidance was calculated under the assumption that the 221-million shares in issue post the JSE listing of Rhodes Food Group on October 2 last year applied in both the 2014 and 2015 periods, the group explained.
In terms of normalised EPS, Rhodes Food Group forecast an increase of between 111% and 116% on the 17.1c reported for the six months to March 30, 2014, reflecting an increase of between 36.1c and 36.9c.
Normalised HEPS for the six months ending March 29 were also expected to grow considerably, compared with the 2014 period’s 16.9c, by between 114% and 119% to 36.1c and 36.9c.
The normalised earnings excluded the R21.8-million one-off listing cost in the 2015 period.
This financial information had yet to be reviewed or reported on by the group's independent auditor, while the final interim results for the six months ended March 29, 2015 were scheduled to be released on May 25.