Friday preview: SThree to update on fourth-quarter trading

29th Nov 2012 16:17

Looking at the calendar, Friday is looking pretty quiet on the corporate front with a few small-cap stocks scheduled for trading statements and results. Among these is recruitment agency SThree which is due to give an update on trading in the fourth quarter of its financial year (ended November 25th).The company reported in September that gross group profits were up 6% year-on-year on a constant currency basis in the third quarter (three months to August 26th), down from the 9% growth in the second quarter and 15% growth in the first.The Contract side of the business was driving growth with a 10% increase, compared with Permanent gross profit which rose 2%. The group seems reasonably equally balanced between Contract and Permanent placements, with both divisions producing £25.6m in gross profit each in the third quarter. Meanwhile, international businesses grew profits by 13%, compared with the UK & Ireland division which reported a 6% decline.The company's Chief Executive Russell Clements said that it had "traded satisfactorily" in the third quarter given the difficult macro-economic backdrop.Investec said in September following the third-quarter statement that it expects full-year revenue to rise from £195.5m last year to £209m this year, with profit before tax falling from £30.3m to £25m.INTERIMS Acal, Creightons INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE BAE Systems, Bloomsbury Publishing, Booker Group, Charles Taylor, DCC, Development Securities, Downing Planned Exit VCT 2 'C' Shares, Downing Planned Exit VCT 2 'D' Shares , Downing Planned Exit VCT 2 'F' Shares, Downing Planned Exit VCT 2011 (General Shares), Downing Planned Exit VCT 2011 (Low Carbon Shares), Downing Planned Exit VCT 2011 (Structured Shares), Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'C' Shares, Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 'D' Shares , Downing Planned Exit VCT 3 F Shares, Hargreave Hale AIM VCT 2, Hilton Food Group, Howden Joinery Group, ITV, Laird, Lookers, Octopus AIM VCT, Old Mutual, Panther Securities, Provident Financial, Senior QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE City of London Inv Trust, F&C Commercial Property Trust Ltd., Henderson International Income Trust, Picton Property Income Ltd INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Chicago PMI (US) (13:45) International Reserves (EU) (11:00) Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30) Personal Income (US) (13:30) Personal Spending (US) (13:30) Retail Sales (GER) (07:00) Unemployment Rate (EU) (10:00) Q3 Frontline Ltd. GMS Prime Focus London FINALS Cambria Africa SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE IndigoVision Group, Ryanair Holdings EGMS Alpha Real Trust Ltd. AGMS Aquarius Platinum Ltd., Charteris, Ferrum Crescent Ltd NPV (DI), Forte Energy NL, Pan African Resources, Prime Focus London, Utilitywise TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS SThree FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE IndigoVision Group, JPMorgan Overseas Inv Trust, London Finance & Investment Group, Manchester & London Inv Trust, Swallowfield, WolseleyBC