MJ Gleeson [LSE: GLE]
Half-year results from MJ Gleeson this morning, the community homebuilders and regeneration specialists. The company has a unique approach to business, with such attributes as building projects favouring staff who live within two miles of the site, whilst they also refuse to sell property to private landlords, instead favouring direct ownership. This doesn’t seem to be damaging performance, either – brokers have lauded the company and today’s numbers show a 19% increase in pre-tax profits. With the dividend up by over a third too, investors should have something to applaud this morning.
Reckitt Benckiser [LSE: RB]
For the last six months, the Reckitt Benckiser share price has been in reverse, but full year numbers from the consumer goods giant this morning may prove sufficient to show the company has turned a corner. The company made a notable acquisition in MJN last year and has also created two new business units, so the comparisons with 2016 aren’t all that easy to make. Stripping out all those changes the like for like growth figure for the full year is an uninspiring 0%, but focusing on Q4 the picture is more impressive and a 7% dividend hike might help provide some cheer, too.
McColl’s Retail Group [LSE: MCLS]
Full year numbers from McColl’s the high street news agent-cum-convenience store chain, reveal some interesting figures. Like for like sales were up by a mere 0.1%, but the company also completed the acquisition of almost 300 convenience stores last summer. Growth here has been a rather more punchy 2.4% suggesting management are doing something right, although debt is mounting. With a commitment to acquiring more stores – and what looks like a proven track record in terms of improving performance, the outlook for McColl’s appears decent.
