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Share price
356.10
Date: 10/03/2010
Change: 
          up
          4.70
Last close: 351.40
Day volume: 178,489

Key financial data

Financial highlights - Consolidated Income statement - Balance sheets - Cash flow

Revenue (£m) Underlying profit (£m)

The measure: Revenue growth is the increase/decrease in revenue year-on-year.

Target: To deliver growth in revenue from expansion both geographically and by business segment.

The measure: Underlying profit growth is the increase/decrease in underlying profit year-onyear. Underlying profit is reported profit adjusted for non-recurring items such as investment disposals to give a fairer indication of profits and enable like-for-like comparisons between years.

Target: To deliver sustainable growth in underlying profit.

Operating margins (%) Cash generation (£m)
The measure: Operating margins are a measure of profitability and indicate how much operating profit is made once all operating costs have been paid. It excludes costs such as interest and tax, and results of associates and joint ventures.

Target: To deliver growth in operating margins by improving the profitablility of services offered.
The measure: Cash generation is the measure of the amount of cash the business has generated from operating activities.

Target:
Maintain strong cash generation to fund working capital requirements, shareholder dividends and strategic initiatives of the Group.
Underlying earnings per share (pence)
The measure: Earnings per share (EPS) is the measure of profit the Group ismaking for its shareholders. EPS is calculated by dividing underlying profit by the weighted average number of shares in issue.

Target:
To deliver growth in EPS to enhance shareholder value.

For more information on our key financial and non financial data please refer to the financial review section of our Annual report 2008

† Underlying Group profit is calculated by adjusting reported pretax profit before exceptional items by profit on disposals of £0.5m (2007: £0.7m), share-based payments adjustments of £3.3m (2007: £4.8m) and add back amortisation of intangibles and impairment of goodwill and available-for-sale investments of £4.2m (2007: £5.1m).

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