Salient financial features

for the year ended 30 September

    Audited
    2016     2015
Financial          
Group headline earnings per share (cents)   838     814
Headline earnings per share (cents) – excluding B-BBEE charge   838     926
Dividend per share (cents)   345     345
Operating margin (%) – excluding B-BBEE charge   6.2     6.4
Net asset turn (times)   2.1     2.1
EBITDA/interest paid (times)   5.0     5.2
Net debt/equity (%)   40.7     55.1
Group return on net operating assets (RONOA) (%)   15.9     17.0
Group return on ordinary shareholders’ funds (%)   9.2     10.9
Net asset value per share including investments at fair value (cents)   8 997     9 157
Number of ordinary shares in issue, including B-BBEE shares (000)   212 693     226 728

    Closing rate   Average rate  
Exchange rates (rand)   2016     2015   2016   2015  
United States dollar   13.75     13.86   14.75   11.98  
Euro   15.45     15.43   16.32   13.73  
British sterling   17.86     20.94   20.99   18.52  
Exchange rates used:
Balance sheet – closing rate (rand)
Income statement and cash flow statement – average rate (rand)