Aryzta

Instead of chewing on the actual numbers, investors in Aryzta, the Irish food group that owns the Cuisine de France brand, will be more interested in digesting the impact of its recent $1bn (€1.3bn) spending spree in the US, where it is now among the biggest makers of cakes, doughnuts and pizzas.

For the year to the end of July, the company had been expecting earnings of about 224 cents a share.

But a better outlook in its main markets, the series of takeovers and positive foreign exchange movements mean that figure should be better, with NCB Stockbrokers pencilling in earnings of 243 cents.

Aryzta's Dublin-quoted subsidiary, Origin Enterprises, reported better-than-expected profits last week and analysts reckon that will also add to Aryzta's earnings.

The upshot should be a higher dividend to its shareholders of around 35 cents a share.

Aryzta, annual results
are released on 26 September