Archive for the ‘Cayman Islands’ Category

Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Reports 18% Increase in First Quarter Net Income

GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS--(Marketwire -05/10/12)- Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. (CWCO), which develops and operates seawater desalination plants and water distribution systems in areas of the world where naturally occurring supplies of potable water are scarce or nonexistent, today reported its operating results for the first quarter of 2012. The Company will host an investor conference call tomorrow -- Friday, May 11, 2012 -- at 11:00 a.m. EDT (see details below).

Total revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased 20% to approximately $16.7 million, compared with approximately $13.9 million for the first quarter of 2011.

Retail water revenues rose 3% to approximately $6.6 million (39% of total revenues) in the most recent quarter, versus approximately $6.4 million (46% of total revenues) for the comparable prior-year quarter, reflecting (i) an increase to the Company's base rates of approximately 4% due to an upward movement in the consumer price indices used to determine such rate adjustments in the first quarter of each year; and (ii) higher energy price pass-through charges resulting from higher energy prices. These factors were partially offset by a 5% decline in the number of gallons of water sold by the retail segment.

Bulk water revenues increased 41% to approximately $10.1 million (60% of total revenues) in the first quarter of 2012, compared with approximately $7.2 million (52% of total revenues) in the year-earlier quarter, reflecting (i) a 34% increase in the number of gallons of water sold, which was primarily attributable to the expansion of the Company's Blue Hills plant in the Bahamas during the fourth quarter of 2011; and (ii) energy pass-through charges resulting from higher energy prices.

Services revenues declined to approximately $0.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with approximately $0.4 million in the first quarter of 2011, reflecting (i) the expiration of the management services contract for the Bermuda plant on June 30, 2011; and (ii) lower fees earned on the Company's management agreement with OC-BVI (the Company's equity investment affiliate) due to the incremental fees earned on the higher earnings generated by this affiliate in 2011 versus 2012.

Net income increased 18% to $2,342,666, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, compared with net income of $1,993,010, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. A 67% increase in operating income, to $2,433,164 during the most recent quarter versus $1,458,225 in the comparable prior-year quarter, was partially offset by a 90% reduction in OC-BVI's earnings. During the three months ended March 31, 2012, the Company recognized earnings on its investment in OC-BVI of $56,938, compared with $543,494 in the comparable 2011 period.

Consolidated gross profit rose 13% to approximately $5.9 million (36% of total revenues) in the first quarter of 2012, compared with approximately $5.3 million (38% of total revenues) in the prior-year period. Gross profit on retail revenues was relatively unchanged at approximately $3.5 million in the most recent quarter (54% of retail revenues), compared with approximately $3.5 million (55% of retail revenues) in the quarter ended March 31, 2011. The modest decline in retail gross profit as a percentage of retail revenues reflected the increase in energy pass-through charges and higher non-revenue water volumes during the first quarter of 2012 versus the prior-year quarter. Gross profit on bulk revenues increased 54% to approximately $2.4 million (24% of bulk revenues) in the most recent quarter, from approximately $1.6 million (22% of bulk revenues) a year earlier. The improvement in the bulk segment's gross profit as a percentage of bulk water revenues was due to the increase in revenues, as a significant portion of the bulk segment's production costs are relatively fixed in nature and do not increase proportionately with an increase in the volume of water sold. The services segment recorded a gross profit of $10,703 for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared with a gross profit of approximately $193,444 in the first quarter of 2011. The decline in services segment gross profits in the 2012 quarter reflected the previously-noted decrease in the segment's revenues.

General and administrative expenses declined 7% to $3,514,685 in the first quarter of 2012, versus $3,792,330 in the corresponding period of 2011, primarily due to (i) a decrease of approximately $779,000 in expenses related to the project development activities of the Company's consolidated Mexico affiliate, N.S.C. Agua, S.A. de C.V. ("NSC"), partially offset by an increase of approximately $200,000 in employee costs due to the hiring of additional management and information technology personnel and approximately $158,000 in added business development costs.

Interest income decreased 38% to $215,430 for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, versus $347,660 in the first quarter of the previous year. Interest expense increased 9% to $383,635 in the 2012 quarter, from $350,372 in the comparable 2011 period.

"We are very pleased to report an 18% increase in first quarter earnings, when compared with the prior-year period, due primarily to increased profitability in our bulk water business segment and a reduction in general and administrative expenses that more than offset a loss in our services segment and significantly lower earnings from our OC-BVI affiliate," stated Rick McTaggart, Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. "The performance of our bulk water segment reflects, to a large degree, the increase in water volumes resulting from a 67% expansion in the production capacity of our Blue Hills plant in the Bahamas that came on line in the fourth quarter of 2011. As a result of this expansion, the Bahamas now represent the Company's largest geographic market, when measured in terms of the volume of water produced and delivered to customers. Gross margins in the bulk segment improved to 24% of bulk revenues, from 22% a year earlier, primarily due to increased water production, a strict cost-control program, and efficiency gains resulting from various operational improvement programs that we have implemented over the past four years."

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Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. Reports 18% Increase in First Quarter Net Income

Endeavour Mining Delivers Strong First Quarter Results Including 49,531 ozs Gold Produced

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - Endeavour Mining Corporation ("Endeavour" or the "Corporation") (TSX: EDV.TO - News) (ASX: EVR.AX - News) (OTCQX: EDVMF.PK - News) is pleased to report the financial and operational results for the first quarter of 2012. Endeavour's two operating mines exceeded guidance by producing 49,531 ounces during the quarter at a cash cost (excluding royalties) of $664 per ounce produced.

Neil Woodyer, CEO, stated

"This was a very successful first full quarter as a merged company. Our mines produced over 49,000 ounces and delivered $38.9 million of cash margin. Recent exploration successes are demonstrating the upside potential at our operations. We are making steady progress advancing our construction-ready Agbaou project including discussions with the Cte d'Ivoire government to obtain our mining permit and, in parallel, we are finalizing the EPCM contractor selection. Endeavour is focused on continuing to deliver and achieve its growth objectives."

(All amounts in US dollars unless otherwise indicated)

First Quarter 2012 Financial and Operational Highlights

First Quarter 2012 Financial and Operational Highlights (con't)

Financial Statements and related MD&A will be available on SEDAR, the ASX website, OTC Markets website, and in the Investor Relations section of Endeavour's website http://www.endeavourmining.com.

In order to access the Corporation's financial statements directly, please click the following URL: http://files.newswire.ca/910/EDV_05082012.pdf

Mark Connelly, COO, stated

"The strong first quarter continues Endeavour's +2 year successful performance track record, and gives us a great start to deliver our full year production guidance of 170,000 to 190,000 ozs at $645 to $685 cash cost per ounce. Beyond the solid performance at our two mines, we are focused on completing the final steps in preparation for building our next mine, the Agbaou Gold Project in Cte d'Ivoire. We are nearing completion of our Agbaou engineering optimization studies that take into account our improved mineral resources/reserves from the successful drilling campaigns of 2010 and 2011 as well as updated capital and operating costs. This NI 43-101 technical report is scheduled to be ready within the next few weeks."

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Endeavour Mining Delivers Strong First Quarter Results Including 49,531 ozs Gold Produced

Vistra Fund Services Adds Privium Capital Fund to Create Multi-Jurisdictional Platform

HONG KONG, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Vistra Fund Services (VFS) announced today the launch of its Privium Capital Fund product, a Cayman Islands-based umbrella fund structure. The Privium Capital Fund platform enables Vistra Fund Services clients to establish their own segregated portfolio or sub-funds and build fund management expertise located in four major jurisdictions - Hong Kong, Cayman, The Netherlands and the UK. Clients can benefit from a one-stop platform, with administration and related support provided by Vistra from its Hong Kong, Luxembourg or Jersey offices. Fund auditing will be covered by PwC Hong Kong, Cayman Islands and The Netherlands, with legal support provided by the leading offshore law firm Maples and Calder from the Cayman Islands. Banking and custodian arrangements can be specified by clients and are not limited to any one jurisdiction.

The Privium Capital Fund provides a simple and fast solution to the challenge of designing and establishing new fund structures. The streamlined approach allows for rapid fund establishment, with Privium providing support in the areas of marketing, set up and design, compliance and approval, physical office and risk management models. These are of particular relevance to those first time or start-up managers launching their funds.

Vistra Fund Services offers a full range of fund administration services using both the Advent and AIM systems platforms which are generally regarded as the gold standard in the industry. VFS has set up direct links with various prime brokers and custodians to allow for efficient reconciliation and settlement. VFS will also provide a range of other services including net asset value calculations, investor communication and reporting and anti-money laundering compliance checks.

Commenting on the launch, Charles Kwun, Managing Director of Vistra Fund Services Asia said, "The new Privium Capital Fund adds to our range of services and delivers a higher level of flexibility.

It allows clients to have fund and management separately domiciled in a range of locations of their choice, and offers tremendous savings in initial set-up and ongoing costs as well as a short implementation time, which we think will be of particular interest to the Far East and Asian markets. This new flexibility will also help to resolve other logistical factors such as time zone differences, communications and control."

About VistraFund Services

Vistra Fund Services ("VFS") is the fund administration and fund formation division of the Vistra Group, a leading global provider of corporate, fund administration, trust and fiduciary services.Vistra has 23 offices in 19 jurisdictions with specialist fund teams based in Jersey, Luxembourg and Hong Kong.

VFS offers a full range of fund administration services with a major focus on alternative investment sectors including hedge funds, real estate, private equity, venture capital and alternative assets.

VFS manages the fund's operations and offers our experience and guidance with regards to the choice of structure, jurisdiction, service provider, working procedures and regulatory matters. At VFS, each fund has a dedicated administration team responsible for the fund and the on-going relationship with the client for the lifecycle of the fund. Our team establish and administer a wide range of funds, and help clients develop bespoke solutions to support their daily fund operations.

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Vistra Fund Services Adds Privium Capital Fund to Create Multi-Jurisdictional Platform

Cayman Airways Launches Non-Stop Service Between Dallas and the Cayman Islands

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Cayman Airways has announced the launch of non-stop service from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Grand Cayman to commence this June. Effective June 23, 2012 September 2, 2012, Cayman Airways will operate weekly service from Dallas to Grand Cayman on Sunday and from Grand Cayman to Dallas on Saturday, starting at $399.

Just in time for the summer season, the introduction of this flight route allows Dallas and Texas residents an easy escape from the hustle of everyday life to head to the Cayman Islands for some fun in the famed turquoise waters and white sandy beaches. Visitors can also take advantage of Cayman's affordable summer promotion, Cayman Summer Splash, enjoying 5th night free accommodations including a $100 resort credit. Business class service is available.

Dallas, TX - Grand Cayman

Flight

Departure

Arrival

Frequency

KX 321

9:00am

1:00pm

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Cayman Airways Launches Non-Stop Service Between Dallas and the Cayman Islands

Herbalife Falls After Fund Manager Queries Disclosure

By Chris Burritt - Tue May 01 22:17:50 GMT 2012

Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg

David Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc.

David Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc. Photographer: Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg

Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), a maker of nutritional supplements, dropped 20 percent after hedge-fund manager David Einhorn asked why it has stopped providing information about distributors in filings.

Herbalife fell $14.02 to $56.30 at the close in New York, its biggest drop since Feb. 25, 2009. The company had gained 36 percent this year before today.

Einhorn, known for short-selling Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. before the firm collapsed in 2008, has more recently put pressure on companies such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR), questioning its accounting disclosure in October. Today, he queried Herbalife executives about the companys distributors on a conference call with analysts and investors.

Chief Financial Officer John DeSimone told Einhorn on the call that when he took over as finance chief in January 2010 he decided to stop breaking out information on distributor groups as it isnt valuable information to the business or to the investors. Herbalife can easily provide the exact same breakout going forward, DeSimone told Einhorn.

That sort of follow-up would be helpful, Einhorn said on the call, which followed the companys report on its first-quarter results.

Einhorn, chairman of Greenlight Capital Re Ltd. (GLRE), asked for a breakdown of sales to Herbalifes distributors and to its consumers. He also asked for an explanation of financial incentives given to supervisors who sign up new distributors.

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Herbalife Falls After Fund Manager Queries Disclosure