The skys the limit forInternational Consolidated Airlines Group(LSE: IAG). The company reported a 39% jump in third-quarter profits today boosted by strong summer sales and the acquisition ofAer Lingus.
Whats more, the company hiked its outlook for the full-year and now expects to generate operating profits of between 2.25bn and2.3bn for the full year, excluding any contributions from Aer Lingus. Broken down, BA reported a 35% rise in operating profits to825m for the quarter and Iberia reported a 23% rise in operating profits to200m
However, despite the good news, the carriers shares are trading lower today. At the timeof writing, IAG is off by 4.4% as City analysts have started to recommend that investors take profits after IAGs stellar run this year.
Maiden dividend
Indeed, in the year-to-date IAGs shares have outperformed the wider FTSE 100 by 20% including todays declines, and yesterday the company announced that it is planning to make the first dividend payment in its four-year history.Nevertheless, even a maiden dividend payment doesnt make up for the fact that the airline business is cyclical, and many are now starting to wonder how much longer the industrys current level of profitability can continue.
Based on current exchange rates IAG currently trades at a forward P/E of 10.9, which isnt overly expensive. Still, the lingering question of how much more upside is left is a reason for investors to be cautious. The airline industry has a reputation for being extremely unpredictable, and it looks as if investors would rather take the money and run after IAGs recent gains.
Slowing organic growth
Shares inPets at Home (LSE: PETS) have fallen as much as 8% in early deals this morning after the company said thattrading in parts of the business has been weaker than expected. Like-for-like sales growth fell to 1.8% during the first-half of the year, down from growth of 4.2% as reported during the same period a year ago.
However, total revenue growth, which includes contributions from new stores jumped to 6%, led byfee income from joint venture veterinary practices up 20.7% to 18.4m.
Pets at Home is on track to roll out20-25 new Pets at Home stores, 5 Barkers, 50-55 vet practices and 55-60 new grooming salons before the end of this financial year.
High expectations
Overall, todays first-half trading statement from Pets at Home is relatively upbeat. The companys organic revenue is growing steadily, and the opening of new stores will drive growth going forward. City analysts expect the companys earnings per share to grow by 15% this year and a further 10% for 2017.
Still, Pets at Home is trading at a relatively high valuation of 19.8 times forward earnings, which doesnt leave much room for manoeuvre if the company misses expectations just as it has done today.
So, if investors are going to buy into Pets at Homes growth story, they need to be prepared for volatility along the way.
And if that concerns you, the Motley Fool is here to help. Our top analysts have recently identified a company that they consider to be one of the market’s“top small caps”.
The company in question has signed deals with some of the FTSE 100’s most successful companies, has astrong cash balanceand is already profitable.
All is revealed inour new free reportentitled“Is This Stock Tomorrow’s Big Winner?”
Don’t delay, download thefree report today— but hurry, it’s only available for alimited time.
Rupert Hargreaves has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. We Fools don’t all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.