Gocompare.com's shares fall as FY profit, EPS slip lower

Shares in Gocompare.com fell almost 6% after its full-year pre-tax profit and earnings-per-share slipped, with the company saying it had performed well in what was a transformational period.

The price-comparison company said customer interactions were up 26% to 32.0m, and that it saved customers more than £1bn in 2016, up 30% on the year.

Pre-tax profit was £21.6m, from £23.3m. Basic EPS fell to 3.8p, from 4.6p. Revenue rose to £142.1m, from £118.9m.

"The group ... performed well in 2016, with strong growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit," said chair Sir Peter Wood in a statement. Operating profit was £21.9m, from £23.1m.

"We will continue to drive shareholder value by placing our customers front and centre in all that we do, ensuring that Gocompare.com is the go-to place for price and product comparison."

Chief executive Matthew Crummack said 2016 was a transformational year in which the demerger of Gocompare.com from esure Group was completed.

"As we move forward into 2017, we are focused on continuing to build on our truly independent and unbiased services that help people everywhere save time and money," said Crummack in a statement.

At 14:30 GMT, shares in Gocompare.com were down 5.81% to 93.25p each.