Shares in credit checking specialist Experian (EXPN) are up by a quarter since the group reported a modest improvement in first-trading trading in November. Though the group's full-year figures didn't set the world on fire, they were still ahead of consensus expectations, leading to another bump in the share price. Adjusted operating profits came in at $1.3bn (£828m) - a modest 4 per cent gain at constant exchange rates.
Organic revenue growth was flat during the first nine months of the group's fiscal year, but grew 3 per cent during the final quarter. The North American consumer business continued to struggle last year, with revenue falling 14 per cent to $717m, dragged down by the poor performance of its legacy 'free' brand products. Management is in the process of repositioning the business as a data owner as well as adding more functionality to its Experian.com product.