MARKET REPORT: The future rises as results yield good results

There was good news for shareholders of Marie Claire publisher Future, with news of a return to growth and plans for a £55 million share buyback.

The company, which also owns price comparison website GoCompare, expressed confidence in meeting market expectations for the current financial year, even as profits for the year to September fell 25 percent.

That reflected the hit from investments in Future’s Growth Acceleration Strategy, launched in December 2023, which contributed to a decline in the group’s operating profit margin.

Future’s full-year revenue was flat, but organic base revenue increased 1 percent, including 5 percent growth in the second half.

After this financial year, the company expects to achieve accelerating organic revenue growth, in line with market expectations. In response, Future was one of the biggest risers in the FTSE 250, rising 9.7 percent, or 95p, to 1075p.

The FTSE 100 index rose 0.16 percent, or 13.57 points, to 8,349.38, while the FTSE 250 was flat at 21,001.06.

Diageo rose in the FTSE 100 as analysts at Jefferies upgraded their rating on the drinks giant on confidence in rising spirits sales and a renewed focus on growth, profits and cash under a new heavyweight finance chief.

Brokers also lifted insurer Admiral by 3.5 per cent, or 91p to 2715p, after Deutsche Bank analysts upgraded their rating to ‘buy’ as part of a positive assessment of the European sector.

They also upgraded their rating for Aviva to ‘buy’, sending the rejected Direct Line bidder’s shares up 1.9 per cent, or 9p, to 489.4p.

But Taylor Wimpey was among the decliners, losing 1.1 percent, or 1.4p, to 128p, after JPMorgan Cazenove analysts downgraded their rating on the housebuilder to ‘neutral’, warning of future earnings risk.

They said builders had endured a turbulent 2024, but they remained broadly positive on the housing sector and see room for a higher trend in 2025.

The analysts also upgraded two FTSE 250-listed builders, upgrading Bellway to overweight and Crest Nicholson to neutral. Bellway gained 1.6 percent, or 40p, to 2534p, while Crest Nicholson fell 1.5 percent, or 2.6p, to 169.8p.

Another builder, Vistry – whose demotion from the FTSE 100 was confirmed this week – rose following news that it would build more than 900 homes in east London in a joint venture with London Legacy Development Corporation.

Vistry rose 0.9 percent, or 6p, to 664.5p.

Another riser was Wood Group, which rose 1.3 percent or 0.85 cents to 65.55 cents after signing three major deals with BP to provide engineering and project delivery services for their capital projects worldwide.

Among small caps, Brand Architekts rose 95.6 per cent, or 22.7 cents, to 46.7 cents after it agreed to be acquired by AIM-listed cosmetics brand Warpaint in a £13.9m deal .

The bid is supported by Peter Gyllenhammar, owner of a quarter of Brand Architekts. Warpaint rose 2.3 percent, or 12 cents, to 536 cents.

But Ebiquity fell 15.6 percent, or 3.5 cents, to 19 cents, as the media and marketing consultancy said that while the second half had been stronger, the final months of the financial year did not meet all its high expectations .