Just a heads-up for any traders out there. Easyjet seems to be bouncing back after its 20% fall during the week.

MM's seem to be walking the price up.

Right now we have EZJ Bid: 608.5p Offer: 609p Change: 11, was up 13 a few minutes back.

The company more than doubled its full year dividend to 21.5 pence and said it planned to amend the dividend policy from this year to pay out one-third of profit after tax each year, up from the one-fifth payout introduced last year.

UPDATE 1-EasyJet pledges higher dividend as profits jump20 Nov 2012 - 07:46

(Adds details) By Rhys Jones LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - British low-cost airline easyJet pledged to pay a higher dividend on Tuesday after outperforming the sector with a 28 percent rise in full-year profit that was helped by a surge in late summer demand. Europe's second-largest budget airline after Ryanair reported a pretax profit of 317 million pounds ($504.46 million) on revenues 11.6 percent higher at 3.85 billion pounds for the year to the end of September. In October easyJet had said it was expecting to report an annual pretax profit of between 310 million and 320 million pounds. [ID:nL6E8L317Q] Luton, southern England-based easyJet more than doubled its full year dividend to 21.5 pence from 10.5 pence and announced plans to increase future handouts to shareholders. "In light of the continued strong financial performance of easyJet and the confidence in easyJet's position within European short-haul aviation, the board has decided to amend the dividend policy from this year," said Carolyn McCall, who has helped double the airline's profits since she took over as chief executive in July 2010. The group will seek "to pay out one-third of profit after tax each year, up from the one-fifth payout introduced last year." EasyJet's strong performance bucks tough conditions elsewhere in the airline sector where several carriers have been hit by a toxic mix of high fuel costs, weak consumer confidence and the eurozone crisis. Earlier this month IAG’s Spanish airline Iberia announced plans to axe almost a quarter of its workforce and rationalise its network under a restructuring plan, while Germany’s Lufthansa, which has already slashed hundreds of jobs, said it would step-up cost-cuts to counter rising fuel prices and limited growth in its core market. [ID:nL5E8M92G7] [ID:nL5E8MD5MB] Since the start of the year airlines including loss-making Spanair and Hungarian flag-carrier Malev [MALV.UL] have ceased operations, leaving gaps in the market that low-cost competitors have been quick to exploit. [ID:nL5E8D30IC] EasyJet, the largest carrier at London's Gatwick airport, said a strong rise in summer bookings from Britain to Malaga and Alicante in Spain and Faro in Portugal had helped, while it also increased the number of flights between top business destinations during the year. The carrier said passenger numbers rose 7.1 percent to 58.4 million during the year, with load factors - a measure of how full its planes are - up 1.4 percentage points to 88.7 percent. The airline, which will fly between London, Manchester and Moscow from next year, said its profit margins grew by 1 percentage point to 8.2 percent during the year, despite a 182 million pound increase in its fuel costs. It expects its fuel bill to be around 30 million pounds higher in 2012/13. ($1 = 0.6284 British pounds) (Reporting by Rhys Jones; editing by Sarah Young and Kate Holton) ((r.jones@thomsonreuters.com)(44)(20)(7 542 4166)(Reuters Messaging: rhysl.jones.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: EASYJET/

20 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ Deutsche Bank Buy 0.00 652.50 745.00 745.00 Reiterates

http://www.stockmarketwire.com/article/4487768/easyJet-beats-estimates-with-record-full-year-pretax-profit.html

BRIEF-EasyJet shares open 2 pct up after rise in FY profit20 Nov 2012 - 08:02

LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - easyJet plc : * Shares open 2 percent higher after it posts a 28 percent rise in FY profit ((London Equities Newsroom; +44 20 7542 7717)) ((For more news, please click here [EZJ.L]))

Watch for Broker upgrades later
in the day......................

There will be an analyst presentation at 9:30 am on 20 November 2012 at Nomura, One Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB.

20 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ Investec Buy 679.75 652.50 690.00 740.00 Retains

20 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ Panmure Gordon Buy 679.75 652.50 750.00 750.00 Retains

Precogz Updates ‏@Precogz
#EZJ Easyjet wows City and doubles dividend - Proactiveinvestors

http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/50545/easyjet-wows-city-and-doubles-dividend--50545.html …

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/easyjet-profits-soar-to-317m-8334887.html

EZJ EASYJET

Brokers reporting today so far......

a lot more to come and I expect upgrades.

easyJet

Broker Views

Date Broker Recommendation Price Old target price New target price Notes

20 Nov Panmure Gordon Buy 695.75 750.00 750.00 Retains
20 Nov Investec Buy 695.75 690.00 740.00 Retains
20 Nov Deutsche Bank Buy 695.75 745.00 745.00 Reiterates

NORWICH & PETERBOROUGH BUILDING SOCIETY

City AM ‏@cityamonline
easyJet hikes dividend on higher profits

http://goo.gl/fb/0j9lg

Market update inc. Easy Jet profits
20/11/2012 | Filed under: Comment & Opinion | Posted by: IG Index
Moody’s has put the brakes on the market rally by downgrading France, prompting the FTSE to drop 22 points to 5722 by 10:15am (London time).

After both European and US markets had started the week in such strongly positive mood, the overnight news that Moody’s has downgraded French sovereign debt from Aaa to Aa1 has put an end to that. This has certainly dampened sentiment, although in reality the bond markets had anticipated this following on from January’s downgrade by Standard & Poor’s. Traders will be keeping a close eye on European banks that might be affected by the French downgrade, particularly on yesterday’s news that Spanish banks had increased their bad debt ratios to 10.7%.

On the equity front easyJet gave shareholders plenty to smile about, none more so than its founder and largest shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. With the company more than doubling its dividend to 21.5p, over a third of the company’s annual profits, the share price was up 44p or 6.8% by 10:15am (London time). easyJet’s strategy of targeting business passengers has seen profits fly, increasing from £248 million last year to £317 million in 2012.

Market comments from Alastair McCaig, Market Analyst, IG

Broker snap: easyJet a 'buy' after in-line full year, says Nomura
Tue 20/11/2012 - 09:51:00

Nomura has reiterated its 'buy' rating for budget airline easyJet after the firm met expectations with its full-year figures on Tuesday.

Profit before tax (PBT) for the year to September 30th came in at £317m, slightly above Nomura's £315m estimate and towards to top-end of previous guidance of £310-320m.

Full-year revenue per seat growth was 5.9%, below the broker's 6.5% forecasts, but this was heavily distorted by currency, analysts said. Excluding currency, growth was more or less in line with the third quarter at 7.5%.

Meanwhile, Nomura said: "With the strong cash flow and liquidity levels above plan (£4m per aircraft), easyJet has decided to increase the dividend payout from 20% to 33%. This reflects the confidence in returns."

However, the broker notes that easyJet's outlook continues to reflect headwinds at this early stage, such as fuel, currency movements and airport costs.

Nomura said that given these headwinds, it maintains its current-year PBT estimate of £325m.

"We recognise potential upside could come from allocated seating, yield management improvements and ongoing network developments," the broker said.

easyJet's shares were up 5.90% at 691p in mid-morning trade.

Bc

Budget airline Easyjet to launch Manchester flights direct to Moscow and Prague
Exclusive by Adam Jupp

November 20, 2012

The new Easyjet routes will created 80 jobs at Manchester Airport The new Easyjet routes will created 80 jobs at Manchester Airport
between Manchester and Russia will be launched next year.

The M.E.N can today reveal that budget airline easyJet will fly four times a week to Moscow from March.

As part of the move, the low-cost carrier will base an extra aircraft at Manchester – creating 80 jobs for pilots, cabin crew and ground handling staff.

EasyJet will also launch services to Prague in the Czech Republic and Greece's second city Thessaloniki in the spring.

Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: "We are pleased to announce the launch of the first ever scheduled services between Manchester and Moscow.

"Russia has a fast growing economy and is a country rich in culture and history - so a direct link from the north of England has been long overdue.

"With our strong European network we look forward to connecting Moscow with other European cities.

"We are also pleased to be able to announce further expansion from Manchester with the arrival of another aircraft in March 2013. This is great news for the regional economy creating much-needed jobs in the city.

"Moscow and Prague will appeal to business and leisure travellers alike, with Thessaloniki promising to be a popular choice for holidaymakers from the region. We look forward to welcoming passengers onboard our new services in spring next year."

The announcement comes just a month after the airline brought its seventh plane to Manchester and said it planned to expand its presence even further over the next 12 months.

The four-hour flights to Moscow will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays using an Airbus A320 with 180 seats.

Manchester will become the only airport in Britain outside of London offering Moscow flights, and the airline expects to carry more than 60,000 passengers in its first year of running the service. Manchester Airports Group chief commercial officer Ken O’Toole said: "This is a significant announcement for easyJet and we are pleased that they have chosen to fly from Manchester Airport to Moscow.

"This route will allow passengers to fly direct from the north west and not have to use London for travel to Russia.

"The basing of an additional aircraft and the inclusion of Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, is also welcome - as are more services to the Czech Republic through Prague.

"EasyJet will serve 32 routes from Manchester next Summer and we look forward to working with them on the continued growth."

The new plane being brought to Manchester by easyJet will fly to Prague three times a week – on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The Thessaloniki service will operate on Mondays and Fridays. EasyJet said bringing a new plane to Manchester would also support 250 indirect jobs.

The airline first started flying from Manchester in March 2008 and earlier this year revealed it would introduce allocated seating for all flights from Manchester from November.

Anyone wishing to change their seat will have the option to choose from three brands of pricing – £3, £8 or £12 – depending on where they want to sit.

Anyone who chooses not to pay to select their seat will be given their seat number when they check in.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/transport/s/1594102_budget-airline-easyjet-to-launch-manchester-flights-direct-to-moscow-and-prague

UPDATE 2-EasyJet doubles dividend as European rivals struggle
20 Nov 2012 - 14:54

* FY pretax profit 317 mln stg vs 248 mln stg * Revenue 3.85 bln stg vs 3.45 bln stg * Dividend 21.5 pence vs 10.5 pence * Shares up 6.3 pct (Adds CEO, analyst comment, shares, detail) By Rhys Jones LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - British low-cost airline easyJet doubled its dividend after annual results showed it took business from fading European rivals and customers bought more cheap flights for late summer holidays. Competitors are struggling to deal with high fuel costs, weak consumer confidence and the eurozone crisis. Some ceased operations this year, leaving gaps in the market that low-cost airlines have been quick to exploit. [ID:nL5E8D30IC] IAG’s Spanish carrier Iberia said this month it would axe almost a quarter of its workforce and rationalise its network. Germany’s Lufthansa said it would deepen cost cuts to counter the rising fuel prices and limited market growth. [ID:nL5E8M92G7] "Set against the difficulties which the industry has been facing, typified by the recent Iberia announcement, easyJet has managed to shoot the lights out," said Richard Hunter, head of equities at stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown. "The doubling of the dividend was a clear statement of management intent around easyJet’s prospects." Shares in EasyJet, which have risen by 80 percent this year compared to a 17 percent rise for the FTSE 250, were up 6.3 percent at 694.25 pence by 1053 GMT, valuing the airline at around 2.75 billion pounds. Europe's second-largest budget airline after Ryanair reported pretax profit up 28 percent at 317 million pounds ($504.46 million) for the year to the end of September, at the upper end of its guidance. [ID:nL6E8L317Q] The company based in Luton, southern England announced a full-year dividend of 21.5 pence, up from 10.5 pence last year. Profits have doubled since Carolyn McCall took over as chief executive in July 2010. She said easyJet would begin paying shareholders one third of its profit after tax each year, up from one fifth last year, confident in its strength on European short-haul routes. EasyJet said it benefited from sun-starved Britons taking last-minute holidays to Malaga and Alicante in Spain and Faro in Portugal to flee wet weather at home and from Londoners getting away after the Olympics. It added flights between top business destinations and introduced flexible tickets and allocated seating in an attempt to steal corporate customers from legacy carriers such as IAG's British Airways. "Companies are being more cost conscious, which has helped us win more corporate work," said McCall, adding that easyJet had won accounts with Britain's Parliament, defence ministry and several banks and insurers in the last year. The airline is in talks with planemakers Airbus , Boeing and Bombardier over the purchase of more fuel efficient jets and plans to increase seat capacity by up to 5 percent a year over the coming five years. EasyJet, which will fly between London, Manchester and Moscow from next year, said revenues increased 11.6 percent to 3.85 billion pounds, while its fuel bill rose 182 million pounds to 1.15 billion pounds. The carrier expects fuel costs to be around 30 million pounds higher in 2012/13. ($1 = 0.6284 British pounds) (Editing by Kate Holton and Tom Pfeiffer) ((r.jones@thomsonreuters.com)(44)(20)(7 542 4166)(Reuters Messaging: rhysl.jones.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: EASYJET/

21 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ Liberum Capital Buy 692.00 692.00 860.00 860.00 Reiterates

SP TARGET 860p.

AND another one......

21 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ UBS Buy 692.00 692.00 680.00 780.00 Reiterates

780p SP target.

21 Nov easyJet PLC EZJ Deutsche Bank Buy 0.00 692.00 745.00 745.00 Reiterates

745p SP target.

EasyJet defies recession and suspect accounting standards
By Richard Beddard | Wed, 21/11/2012 - 09:37

EasyJet has impressed me. Not just its full-year performance reported yesterday, but the way the airline reported it.

Normally big capital intensive companies have long annual reports that suck time and energy in the reading and often leave the reader clueless. EasyJet explains last year's good performance, a combination of skill and luck, with clarity and, anticipating standards that will require companies to capitalise operating leases, bringing leased aircraft on to the balance sheet and treating them as debt, it has gone ahead and capitalised them. It's an important step because capitalising them gives investors a more accurate impression of the capital required by the company and profitability, which is the return on capital.

The bad news is, EasyJet doesn't think this accounting practice will be introduced as a standard at least until 2016. Until then, for most companies, investors will have to do it for themselves.

This EasyJet spreadsheet uses only the most recent results and capitalises the operating leases at seven times lease payments, the multiplier used by EasyJet:



Although net debt rose very slightly, it's a reflection of how well EasyJet did last year in comparison to the earlier one considering the company paid no dividend in 2011 but paid £48m in dividends in 2012 plus a special dividend of £150m. The other key measures, adjusted after-tax operating profit and operating cash flow indicate strong growth.

One of the reasons the airline fared so well despite recession in Europe, where it flies to, is reduced cancellations. Cancellations are not entirely in the control of airlines; bad weather and terrorist threats can be more prevalent one year than another and in 2012 there were relatively few cancellation events, but the company has also been improving the way it manages them by investing in its Operational Control Centre. Like Share Sleuth portfolio member Dart, which operates a packaged holiday company, and Air Partner, a charter company, EasyJet reports that demand from holiday makers is holding up. It's also gaining commercial custom from private and public sector customers travelling to the popular destinations it flies to cheaply.

EasyJet differentiates itself from some of the low cost competition by flying the major routes, while still keeping costs and undercutting "legacy" airlines, often former flag-carriers, it competes with on those routes.

Judging EasyJet on its latest results alone is dangerous though, because airlines are cyclical and profitability was much lower between 2008 and 2010. And that's a shame because using averages encompassing that period would likely produce a lower estimated valuation than the latest results, which already indicate EasyJet must grow .

http://www.iii.co.uk/news-opinion/richard-beddard/easyjet-defies-recession-and-suspect-accounting-standards