Hillary Clinton came out ahead in the second US presidential debate, according to a snap poll by YouGov (YOU), but a plurality of men viewed Donald Trump as the victor. Strong demand for that kind of immediate insight drove the data analysis and market research group's operating profits, excluding amortisation and exceptionals, up 27 per cent to £10.9m in the reported period.
YouGov's digital tools rely on an online panel of nearly 4.8m people. Constant currency sales grew 5 per cent in the custom research division, its largest by revenue, reflecting strong demand for tailored tracking studies and new contracts with HSBC and Vevo. They surged 29 per cent to £34.5m in the more lucrative data products and services business, widening margins.
BrandIndex reached 500 subscribers as management rolled out the brand perception tracker in new territories, while Visa and Johnson & Johnson relied on its Omnibus research service. And Profiles netted £1.4m in turnover in its first full year of trading, supported by the consumer database's US launch.
Broker Numis expects adjusted pre-tax profits of £13.7m in the year to July 2017, giving EPS of 9.6p (from £13.3m and 8.6p in FY2016).
| YOUGOV (YOU) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD PRICE: | 217p | MARKET VALUE: | £226m | |
| TOUCH: | 214-220p | 12-MONTH HIGH: | 218p | LOW: 116p |
| DIVIDEND YIELD: | 0.6% | PE RATIO: | 66 | |
| NET ASSET VALUE: | 71p* | NET CASH: | £15.6m | |
| Year to 31 Jul | Turnover (£m) | Pre-tax profit (£m) | Earnings per share (p) | Dividend per share (p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 58.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 62.6 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| 2014 | 67.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 2015 | 76.1 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | 88.2 | 5.5 | 3.3 | 1.4 |
| % change | +16 | +106 | +3 | +40 |
Ex-div: 1 Dec Payment: 12 Dec *Includes intangible assets of £53.1m, or 51p a share | ||||
