Sharecast - Whitbread (LON:WTB) posted pre-tax profits of £413.0m, up 6% versus consensus of £389.0m, while cash generation was said to have remained "solid", with cashflow from operating activities of £800.0m - up from £509.0m on a year ago.
Deutsche Bank pointed out that this meant that even after a high capex of £546.0m, Whitbread was able to declare dividends of 74.2p for the year and announce a £300.0m buyback to be completed by the end of the first half of 2024.
"Shares reacted positively, up 4.25% yesterday, versus a slightly negative Stoxx 600 (-0.4%)," add DB, which reiterated its 'buy' rating on the stock.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
