Shares in catering giant Compass Group PLC (LSE:CPG) rose over 4% after it served up solid numbers for its third quarter, though organic revenue growth of 10.3% was down from the first half of its financial year.
This was higher than most analysts expected, with growth having been predicted to ease back from the 10.7% growth reported for the second quarter and 11.7% for the first.
Revenue growth remained strongest in Europe, up 12% in the quarter and 12.2% for the nine months of the financial year so far, with North America up 9.9% in the quarter and 10.6% for the year to date, and the rest of the world up 8.5% for the quarter and 9.6% for the year to date.
For the full year, the FTSE 100-listed group said it now expects underlying operating profit growth to be above 15% on a constant-currency basis, with organic revenue growth above 10%.
This was in line with previous guidance for organic growth.
It said all regions performed well, with industry trends remaining "strong" to provide it with opportunities for growth.
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