Beazely (LSE: BEZ) and Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB.) are looking good.
The FTSE 100 (UKX) isn't going anywhere fast right now, up just seven points on the day to 5,847 points, continuing the current sideways trend. How long it will be before it again reaches its 52-week high of 5,989 points remains to be seen, but at least it's close.
But regardless of where the overall index is going, individual companies just keep hitting new highs. Here are three that are soaring at the moment...
Beazley
Beazley Group (LSE: BEZ) is still bouncing around its recent high point, having nudged 170p again today, which is 52% up on its 52-week low of 112p with the shares having stormed up since the end of June.
And the insurance underwriter's future is looking good as well, with City analysts forecasting a massive growth in earnings per share this year, with a 5.6% dividend yield penciled in. Interim results in July looked good, and I see no reasons to doubt these full-year predictions.
Reckitt Benckiser
Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser Group (LSE: RB) has come very close again to its recent 52-week high again, hitting 3,650p today before falling back to 3,618p. Even the current price is 17% up on the shares' lowest price of the year of 3,100p set last November, which is a pretty impressive performance for a £26bn FTSE 100 behemoth.
But the bulk of the price rise might well be behind us now, as forecasts put the shares on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around the long-term FTSE average of 14, with a modest 3.6% dividend yield expected.
Lookers
Lookers (LSE: LOOK) regained its 52-week high of 73.5p yesterday, and is trading just half a penny lower today, at 73p. Shares in the motor dealership are up more than 50% since their December low point, and there could well be more to come -- the shares are on a forecast P/E of around 10, which is not stretching.
At the halfway stage, reported in August, debt was tumbling, having fallen a further £12.7m to £26.8m, which came on top of a £25.6m reduction the year before. With a market cap of £270m, that level of debt is really not a problem.
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> Alan does not own any shares mentioned in this article.
