Aristocrat full-year profit rises 13.6 percent to AUD1.49 billion

Australian slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd reported a 13.6 percent increase in annual profit from continuing operations to AUD1.49 billion (US$1.02 billion) for the 12 months to September 30.

The figure measures net profit after tax and before amortisation of acquired intangibles, or NPATA. It rose 22.3 percent on a constant-currency basis, GGRAsia reported, citing the company’s Thursday filing to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Revenue from continuing operations declined 3.2 percent to AUD6.09 billion, while statutory profit after tax from those operations increased 15.2 percent to AUD1.36 billion. Normalised EBITDA was flat at just under AUD2.64 billion.

In a separate Thursday announcement, Aristocrat said CEO and managing director Trevor Croker intends to retire in April 2027. The board named Dafne Guisard as CEO-elect, subject to any necessary regulatory pre-approvals.

The board authorized a final unfranked dividend of AUD0.51 per share, payable on December 8. The full-year dividend will total AUD1.01 per share, an 8.6 percent increase from a year earlier.

Aristocrat Gaming reported AUD4.02 billion in revenue on a normalised constant-currency basis, up 1.5 percent. Segment profit increased 2.2 percent to AUD2.21 billion. The company said its North American gaming operations installed base grew by about 6,500 units to nearly 82,000.

Product Madness recorded social casino revenue of US$1.08 billion, up 2.2 percent, and segment profit of US$521.4 million, up 7.0 percent. At Aristocrat Interactive, revenue including the company’s share of joint-venture revenue rose 3.4 percent to US$457.2 million, while segment profit fell 6.2 percent to US$122.6 million.

Net debt reached AUD1.13 billion at September 30, compared with AUD423.3 million a year earlier. Aristocrat said on-market share buybacks reduced its cash balances. The company expects constant-currency NPATA growth in the financial year to September 30, 2027.