As we predicted, fashion brand business SuperGroup (SGP), a running Shares Play of the Week, skips 4.4% higher to £12.10 on a consensus-smashing first quarter update. Better-than-expected retail and wholesale performances drove group sales 25.7% higher to £75 million in the first quarter, during which the £930 million cap owner of the Superdry brand made positive strides with its global expansion.
PC World-to-Currys owner Dixons Retail (DXNS) is among the market?s leading lights, up 9% to 48.25p as investors welcome news of non-core disposals. Besides this well-received corporate housekeeping, confirmation of ongoing brisk business is fostering positive sentiment towards the stock. We look at the news in more detail here.
Budget carrier Easyjet (EZJ) rises 1.4% to £12.32 after the Luton-based airline reveals passenger statistics that show a year-on-year increase of 3.9%. The group's load factor is up 1.1% to 92.8%.
Shares in transport specialist Go-Ahead (GOG) advance 3.1% to £15.21 despite the group posting an 8% drop in full-year pre-tax profits. The group's proposed dividend remains unchanged at 81p.
Mobile money network Monitise (MONI:AIM) seems to be exasperating investors with more annual losses, slicing 10% off the shares to 48.5p. Headline pre-tax red ink hit £51.1 million despite a fourth straight year of doubled revenues thanks to ongoing investment for the future. Yet 'live' operations are in the black to the tune of £28.2 million earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) on £68.5 million revenues. As one of the few pureplay mobile money stocks, and a very good one, this shake-out looks short-term even after the re-rating rally Shares predicted in July when at 36.25p.
Professional services exchange Blur (BLUR:AIM) shoots up 7% to 317p after another large project was signed and sealed over its platform. That's the latest of several bigger projects since increasing the maximum value of projects on its exchange to $5 million, as Shares flags in today's magazine. You can get the nuts and bolts of what Blur is attempting to create by reading our interview with founder and chief executive Philip Letts.
After trying to break through the £10 barrier for the past few weeks following a big rally over the summer, Betfair (BET) dips 0.2% to 990p on its latest quarterly trading update. The gambling provider reports a 13% drop in revenue, albeit with a 16% rise in underlying earnings as a result of cost savings and lower marketing expenditure compared with a year earlier when it fought for punters' attention during the Euro 2012 championship.
Disgraced asbestos removal-to-demolition expert Silverdell (SID:AIM) has unsurprisingly parted ways with its chief financial officer, Ian Johnson, after one of its subsidiaries went into administration. The full story behind the problems has yet to be revealed and Silverdell's shares remain suspended while it tries to sort out future funding requirements. The new finance boss is Mark Hazlewood, formerly of May Gurney which was recently bought by Kier (KIE).
Marketing services provider Communisis (CMS) jumps 5% to 57.75p after buying Editions Publishing, a marketing specialist in the financial services industry for £5.9 million. Read our analysis of the group from July and June.
Enterprise Inns (ETI) dips 3.7% to 140.5p as it announces plans to offer £100 million of convertible bonds. It wants to use the proceeds to reduce the level of pub disposals and drive growth in the business, says boss Ted Tuppen. The pubs group has been selling pubs to pay down its large debt.
