Compass: shares down slightly after interim results.

(CercleFinance.com) - Compass said on Wednesday that it has had a good first six months, as the business performed "as expected," with North America continuing to deliver excellent growth and trends improving in Europe.


First-quarter sales came in at 11.6 billion pounds, broadly in line with the consensus at 11.7 billion pounds, with organic revenue growth reaching 3.6%.

The British catering firm's expectations for full-year 2017 remain unchanged, with growth weighted to the second half.

"Management expects organic growth to improve in the second half and reach approximately 4.2%," said analysts at Berenberg, who have a "buy" rating on the stock.

Given its "excellent" cash generation and the strength of the business, Compass also announced a special dividend of one billion pounds.

Even so, its shares were not moving much in early trading in London this morning, slipping 0.7% at 1,584 pence.

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