LONDON -- With the FTSE 100 (INDEX: ^FTSE) down 564 points from its May 22 high of 6,876, up 0.11% for the day to 6,311 as of 8:25 a.m. EDT, it might seem strange to be talking of record prices. But the U.K.'s top index is still up 16% over the past 12 months, which in most years would be considered a cracking performance, and there are individual shares constantly breaking new ground.
So here are three shares from the various indexes that are setting new records today.
Whitbread (WTB +2.77%)
Whitbread is having a great week, with its shares climbing further to reach a new 52-week high of 2,967 pence today -- though they're back to 2,919 pence at the time of writing. Shares in the owner of the U.K.'s Costa Coffee and Premier Inn chains are now up 60% over the past 12 months.
After posting three straight years of double-digit growth in earnings per share, Whitbread is forecast to do the same for the next two years -- and with that kind of growth expected, a forward P/E of 17.5 might well be justified. Dividends are on the up, too, but the yield on offer is only a little more than 2%.
Invensys (LSE: ISYS)
Software and control systems specialist Invensys has seen its share price more than double over the past year, reaching a 52-week high of 411.8 pence today. Emerging from a tough spell, Invensys told us last month that the 12 months to March 31 had been a "transformational year" for the company: Operating profit shot up 41%, and underlying EPS soared 60% to 8.5 pence.
With another strong recovery year forecast for March 2014, the shares are on a forward P/E of 25, so there's a fair bit of future performance already built into the price.
PayPoint (PAY 0.32%)
PayPoint shares reached 1,000 pence for the first time yesterday, turning the consumer payment firm into a near-four-bagger since its low point in early 2010. Earnings have been rising steadily since then, too, as have dividends -- though the share price growth has lowered the yield from about 6% to about 3.5%.
But with forecasts for the next two years looking good, with respective earnings rises of 12% and 10% forecast, the future looks all right.
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