Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Ebiquity sells market intelligence arm to focus on growth opportunities elsewhere

Marketing analytics firm Ebiquity (EBQ:AIM) is looking more streamlined having agreed the £26m sale of its AdIntel division to global consultancy Nielsen (13 Feb).
This business formed the bulk of the group’s Marketing Intelligence operation – which aids firms in understanding their market and what other companies are spending cash on. Chief executive Michael Kargs tells Shares this has increasingly become a ‘commoditised’ area.
The proceeds from the deal are expected to reduce Ebiquity’s debt-to-earnings ratio from 2.1 to 1.0-times.
Recent management focus and resources have been centred on the company’s higher margin and faster-growing Media Value Measurement (MVM) and Marketing Performance Optimisation (MPO) arms.
These apply technology to help companies understand the effectiveness of their marketing and advertising to help ensure promotions have a greater impact in the future.
Although these businesses have significant potential, a trading update accompanying news of the disposal confirmed previous guidance that both MVM and MPO have underperformed in the US.
Numis, which has a ‘buy’ rating and 145p price target on the stock, says the problems across the Atlantic are ‘being addressed by new leadership, though margins were impacted in 2017’.
As such it has trimmed earnings per share forecasts for 2017 from 10.5p to 9.7p; and for 2018 from 9.4p to 8.3p.
Profitability already faced some pressure thanks to a programme of significant investment which is set to peak in 2018. (TS)
Important information:
These articles are provided by Shares magazine which is published by AJ Bell Media, a part of AJ Bell. Shares is not written by AJ Bell.
Shares is provided for your general information and use and is not a personal recommendation to invest. It is not intended to be relied upon by you in making or not making any investment decisions. The investments referred to in these articles will not be suitable for all investors. If in doubt please seek appropriate independent financial advice.
Investors acting on the information in these articles do so at their own risk and AJ Bell Media and its staff do not accept liability for losses suffered by investors as a result of their investment decisions.
Issue contents
Big News
- Why interest rates on deposit accounts could be set to rise
- Get ready for major changes to the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 at next week’s reshuffle
- Crunch time as Tesco’s acquisition of Booker goes to shareholder vote
- Four important stories from the past week: HSBC, BHP Billiton, Acacia Mining and Fidessa
- Can airlines avoid a repeat of the recent ticket price war?