00423.HK announced its interim results on November 22nd. For the six months ended September 30, 2021, the company realized HK $520 million in revenue, an increase of 11.26% over the same period last year. The profit attributable to owners of the company for the period was HK $23.158 million, down 19.38% from the same period last year. Basic earnings per share were HK5.37 cents; and the proposed final dividend per share was HK3.0 cents.
During the period under review, the operating performance of the media division turned from loss to profit. The improvement was due to the strong rebound in the local advertising market, the increase in the Group's advertising revenue and the depreciation cost savings resulting from the impairment of non-current assets for the financial year ended 31 March 2021. Both business and consumer sentiment have improved as a result of the local economic recovery and the consumption voucher scheme. During the period under review, expenditure on the advertising market increased significantly. The Group's print publications and a number of digital channels provide marketers with a full range of marketing solutions to reach and attract target customers in the marketing environment.
The financial news agency, the information and software business segment remained the profit base of the group, and the results for the six months ended September 30, 2021 were lower than those in the previous reporting period. However, excluding the one-time employment guarantee allowance for the six months ended September 30, 2020, the profit attributable to shareholders recorded a moderate increase. Benefiting from strong securities trading and fund-raising activities, the division acquired a number of mobile digital and financial solutions projects during the period under review.