LONDON -- The FTSE 100 (INDEX: ^FTSE) is edging up ever higher, gaining 12 points to reach 6,113 as of 8:20 a.m. EST. Optimism is being reinforced today by a strong close on U.S. markets yesterday and a new Japanese fiscal stimulus as the government approves a new 72 billion pound spend on infrastructure and business incentives.
Let's take a look at three individual companies that are helping to drive the various FTSE indexes up today.
Moneysupermarket.com (MONY -1.12%)
Shares in Moneysupermarket.com is up 6.1% to 168 pence after releasing a pre-close trading statement that told of a 15% rise in adjusted full-year revenue to about 205 million pounds. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be around 66 million pounds, up 26% on 2011.
After acquiring MoneySavingExpert.com in September, the company has repaid all debt associated with the deal and has ended the year with cash of 17.7 million pounds. Moneysupermarket.com shares are up about 50% over the past 12 months.
Laird (LRD)
An update from Laird gave the shares a 2.8% boost to 239 pence and confirmed that trading is in line with expectations. The electronics specialist reiterated its intention to pay a total dividend of 10 pence per share, which amounts to a yield of 4.2% based on the current share price.
That price is now up more than 50% on the year, having slid a little to December and then recovered strongly. On current estimates, the price represents a price-to-earnings ratio of about 12.
Mecom (LSE: MEC)
Mecom Group has risen 6.7% to 87 pence on the back of a pre-close update that confirmed previous guidance. The European consumer publishing company expects EBITDA from continuing operations to come in at about 89 million euros, with adjusted earnings per share of approximately 0.24 euros. Net debt stands at about 130 million euros. A dividend of about one-third of net adjusted EPS is expected.
After a heavy fall in 2012, Mecom shares currently trade on a P/E of less than five, with dividend forecasts for the next few years suggesting a yield of 8% to 9%, but there is that debt to consider.
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