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Games Workshop Group has been the second-best-performing U.K. stock over the last half-decade. According to FactSet, the maker of miniature figurines has returned 2,935%, or an average annual return of 98%, over the last five years, virtually on par with U.K. media group Future.
Games Workshop’s latest results also impressed, as its pretax profit jumped 69% in the year to May 30, on 31% revenue growth. Shares of the company
GAW,
rose 2%.
Though a majority of its revenue comes through independent retailers, the maker of Warhammer figurines now operates 531 stores globally. It said a Warhammer cafe store in Dallas, Texas is profitable, and it opened a second cafe in California last month. Games Workshop concedes an online store is “looking a little dated,” and the back end is struggling to cope with volumes.
Each of its employees were rewarded with a £5,000 ($6,939) bonus.
The broader FTSE 100
UKX,
edged up 0.2% in midday trade, recapturing the 7,000 level. Barclays
BARC,
rose 4% as the U.K. bank reported a stronger-than-forecast second-quarter profit and said it plans to launch a £500 million stock buyback. St. James Place
STJ,
rallied 7% after reporting a 24% surge in assets under management in the first half as inflows jumped 27%.
Airlines rallied on reports the U.K. will loosen restrictions on incoming visitors from the U.S. and European Union, sending British Airways owner International Airlines Group
IAG,
easyJet
EZJ,
and Wizz Air
WIZZ,
higher. Wizz Air separately reported a widening of its fiscal first-quarter loss but a more than doubling of revenue, as it said by August it plans to operate at 100% of its 2019 capacity.
Reckitt Benckiser
RKT,
slipped 2%, losing ground for a second day as analysts weighed in on the company’s second quarter results. UBS analyst Guillaume Delmas cut his price target to 8000 pence from 8300 pence, though he said it remains the most compelling turnaround story in the European household products sector.
