Morrisons (LSE: MRW) 1H17 RESULTS: BETTER COMPS, IMPROVED OPERATING MARGINS

Executive Summary

• The UK’s fourth-largest grocery retailer, Morrisons, reported 1H17 revenues down 0.4% but comps up 1.4%. Comps saw a sequential improvement and rose 2% in 2Q. This was the third consecutive quarter of positive underlying growth.
• Operating profit climbed 30%, helped by the progress of its plan to save £1 billion in costs over three years. This led to operating margins of 2.8%, up from 2.1% in the year-ago period.
• Profit before tax (PBT) rose 13.5%, and these gains trickled down to create a 2.4% increase in diluted earnings per share (EPS), taking it to 4.68 pence.