(Alliance News) - Future PLC on Wednesday said group performance for the first four months of its current financial year has been "as expected", and noted the UK advertising market "continues to be challenging".
The Bath, England-based online magazine publisher and owner of price comparison website Go Compare said it was on track to meet market expectations for the year due to end September 30.
Future cited a company-compiled consensus of GBP776.9 million in revenue, which would be a 1.4% decline from GBP788.2 million last year, and adjusted operating profit of GBP217.8 million, down 2.0% from GBP222.2 million.
Following a "standout" year in financial 2024, Go Compare performance has moderated, the company said, "reflecting the expected slow-down in the car insurance switching market".
Business-to-consumer trading saw continued improvement within US digital advertising and eCommerce from the second half of 2024, with both areas seeing year-on-year growth and "broadly stable" performance in audience sessions.
The UK advertising market, on the other hand, continues to be "challenging" for the group. The business-to-business market remains mixed, while enterprise technology trading remains soft.
Future is due to release its half-year results on May 16.
Chief Executive Officer Jon Steinberg said: "After our return to growth in the second half of last year, our focus for this year is on the continued execution of our growth acceleration strategy. We are pleased with the start to the new financial year and, whilst we remain mindful of the macro backdrop and the ongoing evolution of the media landscape, we are confident about making further progress and delivering a performance in line with market expectations."
Shares in Future were up 2.6% at 960.00 pence in London on Wednesday morning.
By Emily Parsons, Alliance News reporter
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