Thursday preview: Kingfisher, Capita, Compass

22nd Jul 2009 16:10

Thursday looks like being the busiest day of the week with three FTSE 100 companies making announcements plus updates from some second liners recently demoted from the blue-chip index.B&Q owner Kingfisher said at the beginning of June that favourable weather had boosted outdoor seasonal product sales in the UK and France. Since then the sun has largely continued to shine so the strong performance is likely to have continued in the second quarter.Dutch investment house ING is predicting a 2% fall in year on year like for like sales at B&Q, a view echoed by UBS.Outsourcing group Capita issues interim results on Thursday. Its unit and investment trust administration and registrar businesses are being affected by the current weakness and restructuring in this sector, but overall the group seemed upbeat in its trading statement back in May. Catering group Compass will issue a trading statement in which it is expected to announce a continuation of the upward trends in revenue seen in the first half of its financial year, while an update on cost efficiencies is also anticipated.Newspaper group Daily Mail & General Trust has been hit by the advertising downturn but the company said in May that the ad market had shown signs of revival in April and May. Notwithstanding any pick-up in advertising revenues, the business-to-business division is likely to have been the best performing part of the business. Financial software firm Misys has had a pretty decent year, boosting reported revenue by about 40% to £695m and adjusted profit from continuing operations by over 40%. Like for like revenue, excluding the Allscripts acquisition made last October, is slated to show a 3% rise on a constant currency basis.On the economic front UK Retail Sales are expected to have improved in June, recovering from a disappointing May, as shoppers rush out to stock up on summer clothes, outdoor leisure goods and food for the "barby". Lower mortgage payments for those on variable mortgage rates may also have encouraged consumers to take advantage of the deep discounts being offered by the many shops desperate to increase footfall.The Retail Sales index is expected to have risen 0.5% in June, and to be 2.4% higher than June last year.TRADING STATEMENT Compass Group, Daily Mail & General Trust, Kingfisher, Playtech INTERIMS Capita INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Edinburgh Worldwide Inv Trust QUARTERLIESCarphone Warehouse FINALSMisysAGMS AEA Technology, Alterian, Anglo Asian Mining, Ascent Resources, Biotech Growth Trust, Blavod Extreme Spirits, Caledonia Investments, Carphone Warehouse Group, Chamberlin and Hill, De La Rue, Dee Valley Group, Emerging Metals Limited, Eurasia Mining, Hyder Consulting, Mckay Secs., Melorio, Midas Capital, MobilityOne, Prospect Epicure J-REIT Value Fund, Proton Power Systems, RAB Special Situations Company Ltd., Scottish & Southern Energy, SSL International, Sunkar Resources, Tate & Lyle, TP70 2008 (I) VCT, TP70 2008 (II) VCT, TP70 VCT, Twenty, Vertu Motors UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Internet Retail Sales (09:30) Retail Sales (09:30) INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSWeekly Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)Business Confidence Indicator (FRA) (07:45)Production Outlook Indicator (FRA) (7.45) Current Account (EC) (09:00FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Aurora Inv Trust, DCC, Hamworthy, Matrix Income & Growth 2 VCT 'C' Shares, Printing.com