Why RPC and Findel Should Beat the FTSE 100 Today

LONDON -- Following the weakness in Asian markets, the FTSE 100 has turned down again today, falling 95 points, or 1.44%, to 6,464 by 9:05 a.m. EDT. It seems there's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the timetable for weaning the world's markets away from economic stimulus.

But even though the FTSE has been falling fairly steadily since its May 22 peak of 6,876 points, it is still up 24% from its 52-week low.

With the FTSE down, which shares are rising? Here are two names on the up that look set to beat the index today.

RPC Group
RPC Group shares were boosted by final results, gaining 4.7%. The supplier of plastic packaging recorded a drop in revenue of 7% to £1.05 billion, with adjusted operating profit down £3.8 million to £89.7 million. Adjusted earnings per share slipped 6.7% to 34.8 pence per share, but the firm was still able to lift its full-year dividend by 3.5% to 14.9 pence per share -- that's a 3.5% yield.

These results were a little better than expected after a pre-close statement on March 28 told us to expect a profit fall, resulting in a 12% share-price slump.

Findel
Some smaller companies seem to be doing well of late, and Findel shares are up 9.2% so far today. The reason was the release of full-year results in which the company claimed it was "well positioned for significant progress in the coming year."

The year to March 29 saw revenue rise 8% to £581 million, with the home shopping and education supplies firm turning a £12 million pre-tax loss into a profit of £4.1 million. Chief executive Roger Siddle said the results "illustrated the extent of the progress that has been made in turning around the Group's operations over the last two years."

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The article Why RPC and Findel Should Beat the FTSE 100 Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Alan Oscroft has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends RPC Group. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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