Mothercare (LSE: MTC) and Booker (LSE: BOK) see strong recoveries.
The FTSE 100 (UKX) seems to be flattening off a bit today, up just 2 points to 5,913 by midday after a strong close yesterday. It did, in fact, reach nearly 5,930 points at one stage this morning, which was just 59 points short of its year high of 5,989.
But individual shares are beating the index, as they do every day. We take a look at three FTSE index constituents that are flying high and look set to outrun the wider market today:
Mothercare
Mothercare (LSE: MTC) shares leapt today, up 34p (15%) to 267p, on the back of a first-half pre-close trading statement. Chief executive Simon Calver, who left LOVEFiLM to steer Mothercare's recovery, sounded pleased, saying: "Our strategy outlined in May this year is showing early signs of progress."
Mothercare, which owns the eponymous retail chain and Early Learning Centre brand, saw the recent fall in UK like-for-like sales bottoming out, with online sales returning to growth. Those who invested in the recovery earlier this year have done well -- the shares are now 75% up on their 2012 low of 152p.
Booker
Food wholesaler Booker (LSE: BOK) had a great morning too, up 5.4p (5.7%) to 99.75p, after releasing interim results. Total sales for the 24 weeks to 14 September gained 3.3% to £1.9 billion, with like-for-like sales up 3.1%.
Pre-tax profits, after a £3 million exceptional cost related to an acquisition, came in 13% higher at £41 million. At the bottom line, earnings per share rose 6% to 2.5p and an interim dividend of 0.38p per share was announced, up 15%.
Booker has been another success story this year, with the shares now nearly 40% up on their year low -- and they've more than 6-bagged since their 2008 low.
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Tethys
Tethys Petroleum (LSE: TPL) saw its recent slide reversed this morning, as it regained 10% to 35p. The firm announced that its AKD07 exploration well in Kazakhstan has reached its target depth ahead of schedule, and tests are ready to be run to see if it has hit the hoped-for oil-bearing strata.
The shares have had a tough ride this year, and despite a good start to 2012, they've been slowly sliding since March. Could this be the turning point investors have been waiting for?
Well, it's a tricky business investing in oil, and with exploration companies we should often expect a volatile ride. But if you want some help, the latest Motley Fool report, "How To Unearth Great Oil & Gas Shares" is available free. Click here to read it today.
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> Alan Oscroft does not own any shares mentioned in this article. The Motley Fool has recommended shares in Booker.
