Share of the week: Plenty in the tank here

Just two-and-a-half trading days long, this is easily the shortest timeframe in our "Share of the week" series. Still, there have been some real standout performers, and competition for top spot was fierce. One share does, however, rise above the rest.

Among the contenders was pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers. The owner of the All Bar One, Harvester and Toby Carvery chains has had a difficult year, and competition from branded restaurants, coffee shops, and street food will not make things any easier in 2016.

New chief executive Phil Urban is backing himself to turn things round though, and investors liked his decision to spend over £59,000 on M&B shares just before Christmas. They're up by over 6% this week, but are still down 11% in 2015 and by more than a quarter since June. There are also reports that broker Stifel Nicolaus has just said 'buy' with 465p price target.

Star prize, however, goes to Lookers.

It's been a fantastic year for the £733 million car dealer, and its share price is up 43%. In 2009, they had sunk to just 20p. This week alone they're up as much as 6.5% to a new high at 188.8p.

We reported in May that management's numbers looked conservative and earnings upgrades could be on the cards. The shares are up more than 18% since. It was our "Share of the week" in September, too, at 179p.

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And third-quarter results, published late October, broke records and management said full-year numbers would meet expectations, which would be a massive increase on 2014. It prompted long-time fan Matthew Taylor at Numis Securities to repeat his 'buy' rating and 220p price target.

Taylor pencils in pre-tax profit of £71.9 million in 2015, up from £63.9 million a year ago, giving earnings per share of 14.2p. He's after £80.5 million and 15.8p respectively in 2016.

"The early signs for the Benfield acquisition are encouraging. Industry conditions remain favourable, with good visibility on a high proportion of the group's earnings," said Taylor in November.

He points out that Lookers has delivered 15% operating profit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past 15 years. And only Dunelm has done better in the sector over the past eight years.

At 188p, Lookers shares trade on 11.9 times forward earnings; that's a big discount to the sector and "fails to reflect consistency of performance and returns," according to Taylor.

Full-year results are expected on 5 March 2016.

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.