Three things you need to know in the financial markets this morning from investment writer, Tony Cross.
Standard Life Aberdeen
Full year numbers are out from Standard Life Aberdeen [LON:SLA] this morning in a bumper eight part release. Headline figures are underwhelming, with a series of disposals being seen as driving figures lower. The company, now with a new man at the helm, is undergoing something of a reset, but investors may well be wary of the 12% drop in fee income which took a commensurate toll on profits. The dividends payable for the full year have been pared back by around one third and the intention is to maintain payments at this level until at least 1.5 times covered.
ITV
Full year numbers are out from ITV LON:ITV covering the period to December 31st. This has been a strange one in terms of lockdown, as bolstered audience figures haven’t translated into the uplift for advertising that may have been expected. Studio rental has also taken a toll off the back of COVID restrictions impacting production guidelines. The year did finish on something of a flourish and although Q1 is presenting some challenges, the outlook is broadly positive so long as there are no further changes to the unlocking roadmap. Cost savings have been ahead of guidance and the company also stands to benefit from reporting against some attractive comparatives going forward.
Dominos Pizza
One company that has benefitted from lockdowns and restaurant closures is Dominos Pizza LON:DOM. They have published full year numbers to December 27th, which showed a 10% increase in sales. Whilst there have been some costs associated with the deployment of COVID safe protocols, these have been eclipsed by the uplift in profits. A final dividend of 9.1p is proposed along with a £45m share buyback and the company is confident that it can capitalise on recent gains to deliver further sales growth in the medium term.
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