Shares in the marketing communications industry continued to outperform the FTSE All-Share Index during the month ended 12 March, the second successive month to witness such progress. The industry’s MSFI Index rose by 6.59% while the FTSE All-Share Index could manage only a 1.1% increase.
Over the last two months the MSFI Index has increased by almost 20%, recovering some – but not much – of the ground lost over the last three years.
Such was the progress among most marketing shares that the exceptions stood out sharply. The shares in decline were those of Cello Group (perhaps anticipating the poor result – see Cello loses £0.6m after exceptionals of £4m), Hasgrov
e, Porta Communications and WFCA.
By contrast shares in Huntsworth put on a 15.4% growth spurt, closely followed by The Mission Marketing Group (up 15.1%), and Adventis Group (up 14.5%). It is two years since shares in Mission were priced as high as the 20p they achieved this month. Shares in M&C Saatchi also improved by 13%, reaching their best price since November 2007 ahead of its financial results for 2011.
Less impressive were the upward price movements at Huntsworth and Adventis Group. Shares in Huntsworth simply showed a welcome modest recovery after dropping to 32.25p in January this year – almost their lowest point since our records began (see Directors and profits in decline at Huntsworth). At Adventis Group, the share price climbed as a burst of unexplained share buying followed an announcement that the group would be reporting a loss of £5.5 million for 2011 (see Adventis share price leaps).
