LONDON -- We're pretty busy with annual results from companies in the FTSE 100 and other FTSE indexes at the moment, with May being the month that companies with March year-ends generally report their progress.
We've already taken a look at three shares due to report next week, so here's a quick look at three more names that will issue figures within the next seven days.
SABMiller (LSE: SAB)
How many shares do you know of that have beaten the FTSE for 12 straight years? That's what brewer SABMiller has achieved, and next Thursday's full-year results should shine some light on the chances that the feat will be repeated again this year.
Although, with the price already up 29% to 3,599 pence since the start of the year against 14% for the FTSE 100, it would take something bad for that not to happen.
SABMiller, whose beer brands around the world include Miller, Grolsch, Peroni, and Coors, released a trading update in April, telling us that revenue for the full year was up 7% on an organic constant-currency basis, though the uplift was only 10% when accounting for acquisitions, disposals, and currency effects.
We should see a modest rise in earnings per share and a dividend yield of about 2%. After so many years of price growth, mind, the shares are on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of more than 20.
United Utilities (UU -0.38%)
Thursday should also bring us full-year results from United Utilities. And with the cash cow being a favorite among income investors, including pension funds and other institutions, eyes are likely to be focused on the dividend.
Currently there's 34.3 pence per share forecast -- which would represent a 7% hike over last year's payment -- for a yield of 4.5% on the current share price of 764 pence.
At the time of United's last trading update in March, we heard that performance was in line with expectations, so we shouldn't be in for any surprises. Revenue was expected to rise a little less than that permitted by regulation, with operating profit expected to be slightly higher than in 2012.
Halfords (HFD 1.30%)
The last of our three is Halfords, the high-street purveyor of bicycles and car parts, which will also release full-year results on Thursday.
From last summer's low of 187 pence, Halfords' shares have since more than doubled to 400 pence after a recent mini-surge from the middle of April. This year is expected to bring a further fall in earnings, but there is an unchanged total dividend of 22 pence per share expected after the interim payment was held at 8 pence per share. The payout should be barely covered by earnings, but it would represent a healthy yield of 5.5% if maintained.
Halfords' pre-close update in April revealed an overall 1% rise in revenue, but we did see signs of the group's Autocentre division bringing in the cash with a 13.5% sales advance. At the time, Halfords was expecting pre-tax profit of about £70 million, in line with earlier guidance.
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