24 January 2018 – trading update
The international specialist staffing group has announced a trading update for 2017, ahead of final results being released on 14 March. Full year profitability will be in line with market expectations. Record profit before tax is therefore anticipated. This figure will be up up approximately 20% on the previous year. Net fee income will be approximately 17% up on the prior year and diluted adjusted earnings per share up approximately 9%. There are still opportunities for growth but it will be increasingly difficult to improve on what has been very solid performance in the recent past in view of potential challenges. We keep our SPECULATIVE BUY rating.