Flutter and 888 set to report results amid US listing and takeover rumours
Flutter, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, will put forward its last trading update on Thursday.
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Two of the UK’s biggest gambling companies will present a set of results next week as they both potentially go through periods of big change.
FTSE 100 listed Flutter, which owns Paddy Power and Betfair, will put forward its last trading update on Thursday before its shares start trading in New York, something it hopes can help the company tap into funding from the US market.
Meanwhile, its London rival 888 is reportedly batting away approaches from potential suitors and will update markets on Wednesday with its full-year results.
Analysts are expecting 888 to report revenue of £1.71 billion and adjusted pre-tax profit of £26 million during the year.
According to a Sunday Times report in December, 888, which owns the Mr Green and William Hill brands, last summer rejected a bid worth about £700 million from Playtech, another London-listed gambling company.
888’s market value on Friday was just under £360 million. So, alongside any results on Wednesday, investors are likely to be keen to hear about any other bids that might have been made for the business. Whether or not they will hear about that remains to be seen.
Flutter will take its shares to the US markets on the last Monday of January.
The company has said that its New York Stock Exchange listing will not impact its inclusion in the FTSE 100. It simply wants to recognise the fact that about 40% of the company’s revenue now comes from the States.
US investors will be familiar with the company’s FanDuel subsidiary which offers bets on the biggest US sports leagues, horse racing and online casinos.
“Flutter’s FanDuel is a familiar brand to many US domestic investors,” Ivor Jones and Douglas Jack at Peel Hunt said last month.
“The shares offer them exposure to a fast-growing, local market leader with a cash cow international business. We expect increased demand and solid trading to drive up the shares.”
At the time, the Peel Hunt analysts upgraded Flutter’s shares from hold to buy, saying that they expect the company’s shares to reach 16,000p. They were trading at about 12,800p on Friday.
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