Paddy Power share price jumps on €392m payout to shareholders after record profit
The figures
Paddy Power is paying out – this time to shareholders – to the tune of €392m (£285m) after record pre-tax profit of €167m in 2014, up from €126.6m and a rise of 21 per cent.
The cash of 800 cents per share will come from surplus cash and planned debt raising.
The windfall sent shares surging nine per cent in early trading.
The bookie will also pay out a final dividend of 102 pence per share.
New customers grew 28 per cent, helping sales reach €882m, and mobile now accounts for 55 per cent of online revenue.
The depreciation in the euro had a positive impact and, if sustained, this would add €5m to operating profit in 2015.
Why it's interesting
Paddy Power's major growth comes from the shift in gambling from the high street to the mobile devices, helping it compete in a highly competitive market.
Long-standing chief Patrick Kennedy departed the bookmaker and Andy McCue, its UK and Ireland retail operations chief, took the reins at the beginning of the year.
In his first update as boss, McCue continued Paddy Power's well-known comedic tone market updates, sying there were more ups and downs that Taylor Swift's love life.
What Paddy Power said
"As I look ahead, the pace of change in the sector and in the wider consumer environment is intensifying. We continually develop and adapt to anticipate the needs of customers and maintain an edge in the market. Time and again we see that product is the key factor in attracting and retaining customers. We have reorganised the business to significantly sharpen our focus on product differentiation and innovation, and to increase in-house development. This, combined with clear investment priorities, will pave the way for sustained performance and market leadership," said McCue.
In short
Paddy Power remains favourite and investors will be pleased they are on the receiving end of one of the bookie's payouts.