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Listed firm halves earnings guidance
ASX-listed firm Shine Lawyers has dramatically downgraded its 2015-16 earnings guidance after ending its extended trading halt.
Stefanie Garber
The revised EBITDA guidance announced by Shine Lawyers is $24-$28 million, down from the $52-$56 million predicted in August 2015.
As a result of the review, the firm has increased its provisioning for work in progress (WIP) by a one-off sum of $17.5 million in 2015-16.
This recalculation of WIP was made on the basis that all current cases may not succeed, so provisioning must be relative to recovery rates, the firm said in a statement on the ASX.
Shine also conducted a review of its current business performance, which wiped a further $10.5 million off the initial earnings guidance.
Performance in the first half of 2015-16 was below budget due to “lower income, driven by poor fee-earner to file ratios and under performance by some fee-earners”, according to the statement.
In response, the firm committed to bringing in tighter performance management and recruitment policies.
The firm also pointed to “greater than expected” write-offs due to factors that included regulatory reform and continuing market competition, especially in Queensland.
Full results for the first half of 2015-16 are due to be released on 23 February.
The firm has now resumed trading on the ASX after a seven-day suspension from the market announced in anticipation of the earnings guidance review.
Update: Share prices dropped by 73.25 per cent on Friday as trading resumed after the announcement, opening at $2 and closing at $0.53.
