Increased special dividend

GVC has released a positive pre-close update, indicating that results will be at the upper end of market expectations, and has upped the planned 2016 special dividend by 49%, from 10c to 14.9c/share. This confirms excellent momentum in the business, with revenue synergies beginning to augment the bwin cost synergies. We have increased our FY16 EBITDA estimate by £2.4m to £204.5m. Management is delivering on its ambitious targets, yet the 2017e EV/EBITDA is now only 9.2x.