- Double-digit revenue growth
- Upgrades full year 2025 guidance
- Year-to-date shares up 8%
Shares in Informa (INF) topped the FTSE 100 leaderboad after the events and data business reported a strong first half and raised growth guidance for the full year 2025 (to end December).
Stephen Carter, chief executive, said: ‘Informa is further increasing the pace of performance, delivering 20%-plus growth in our four key performance measures: revenues, profits, earnings and free cash flow.’
Informa stock rose nearly 6% to 874p, within a whisker of 895p all-time highs.
The company saw revenue grow 20% to £2.03 billion, driven by a robust performance from its live B2B (business-to-business) events arm. But crucially, Informa also raised its underlying revenue growth guidance for full year 2025 from 5% to 6%, including an anticipated 8% rise in live B2B events.
There was good news for shareholders as the company announced a further £150 million of additional share buybacks in the second half of 2025. Year-to-date the international events group has completed £200 million worth of share buybacks and over £1.2 billion since 2022.
‘Informa is built around world class brands, leading International market positions, first party data and, most importantly, colleagues with specialist expertise and a passion to deliver for customers’, Carter told investors.
POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell said: ‘Media group Informa was the top riser on the FTSE 100 as its latest update offered evidence that the recovery in demand for in-person and hybrid events in the post-pandemic world is continuing.
‘Ticking a trio of boxes, the company boosted the dividend, added to its share buyback and boosted full-year guidance.’
DISCLAIMER: Financial services company AJ Bell referenced in this article owns Shares magazine. The author of this article (Sabuhi Gard) and the editor (Steven Frazer) own shares in AJ Bell.
