Financial performance
Group highlights 2006
- Records for all key earnings measures including underlying EBITDA up 50 per cent to US$18.1 billion and underlying EBIT up 54 per cent to US$15.3 billion.
- Attributable profit up 63 per cent to US$10.5 billion, including exceptionals, and up 58 per cent to US$10.2 billion, excluding exceptionals.
- EPS up 66 per cent, including exceptionals, and up 60 per cent, excluding exceptionals, benefiting from recent buy-backs.
- Underlying EBIT margin and Return on Capital Employed increased to 44 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
- Final dividend of 18.5 US cents per share, an increase of 27.6 per cent on last year’s final dividend. This brings the full year dividend to 36.0 US cents per share, up 28.6 per cent.
- Further capital return of US$3.0 billion, bringing total for financial year 2006 to US$5.0 billion.
| US$ million | 2006(a) | 2005(a) | 2004(b) | 2003(b) | 2002(b) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue together with share of jointly controlled entities’ revenue (Turnover) | 39,099 | 31,150 | 24,943 | 17,506 | 17,778 |
| Underlying EBIT (c) | 15,277 | 9,921 | 5,488 | 3,481 | 3,102 |
| Attributable profit – excluding exceptional items | 10,154 | 6,426 | 3,510 | 1,920 | 1,934 |
| Attributable profit – including exceptional items | 10,450 | 6,396 | 3,379 | 1,901 | 1,690 |
| Net operating cash flow including dividends from jointly controlled entities and after net interest and taxation |
10,476 | 8,374 | 5,100 | 3,631 | 3,882 |
| Basic EPS – including exceptional items (US cents per share) | 173.2 | 104.4 | 56.4 | 30.9 | 28.0 |
| Basic EPS – excluding exceptional items (US cents per share) | 168.2 | 104.9 | 54.3 | 30.6 | 32.1 |
| Dividend per share (d) | |||||
| BHP Billiton Plc (US cents) | 36.0 | 28.0 | 26.0 | 14.5 | 13.0 |
| BHP Billiton Limited (US cents) | 36.0 | 28.0 | 26.0 | 14.5 | 13.0 |
| Underlying EBITDA interest coverage (c) (times) | 44.3 | 51.7 | 21.1 | 13.3 | 10.9 |
| Underlying gearing (per cent) | 27.2 | 35.8 | 25.7 | 31.7 | 35.0 |
(a) Information for the years 2005 and 2006 is stated under IFRS. The Group implemented IAS 39 ‘Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement’ on 1 July 2005 without restatement of comparative periods.
(b) Information for the years 2002 to 2004 is prepared and presented in accordance with UK GAAP and has not been restated.
(c) Underlying EBIT is earnings before net finance costs and taxation, and jointly controlled entities’ net finance costs and taxation and any exceptional items. Underlying EBITDA is underlying EBIT before depreciation, impairments and amortisation. We believe that underlying EBIT and underlying EBITDA provide useful information, but should not be considered as an indication of, or alternative to, attributable profit as an indicator of operating performance or as an alternative to cash flow as a measure of liquidity.
(d) Three dividends were declared for the year ended 30 June 2004 as a result of the Group’s decision to realign dividend declarations to coincide with the announcements of interim and full year results.
 |
Turnover US$39.1B |
 |
Underlying EBIT (c) US$15.3B |
 |
Attributable profit –
excluding exceptional items US$10.2B |
 |
Returns to shareholders
since 2001 US$15.5B  |
 |
Dividends (d) US$2.2B |
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Market capitalisation
at 30 June US$123B |
Relative share price performance index – 5 year (US$) |
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