Sugar sweetens the pot at AB Foods
24th Apr 2012 08:05
Interim profits from Primark owner and foods group Associated British Foods came in bang in line with market expectations, with the sugar businesses sweetening the performance considerably. Adjusted operating profit of £412m in the 24 weeks ended March 3rd was up 6% on the corresponding period a ye
Read moreLondon pre-open: FTSE set for reverse of Monday's losses
24th Apr 2012 07:28
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 20 points from yesterday's close of 5,666, recovering somewhat from yesterday's losses which came on the back of worse-than-expected economic data and the resignation of the Dutch government after it failed to come to an agreement over spending cuts.
Read moreAB Foods on the money
24th Apr 2012 07:02
Interim profits from Primark owner and foods group Associated British Foods came in bang in line with market expectations, with the sugar businesses sweetening the performance considerably. Adjusted operating profit of £412m in the 24 weeks ended March 3rd was up 6% on the corresponding period a ye
Read moreTuesday preview: AB Foods, Carpetright
23rd Apr 2012 16:07
It is odd that for a company called Associated British Foods people who follow the stock seem to obsess about the group's clothes retailing operation Primark, but that has been where the growth has been in recent years. That may change with Tuesday's interim results, where the sugar side of the b
Read moreLondon midday: Essar, HSBC drag Footsie down 0.85pc
27th Feb 2012 12:04
- Essar, HSBC provide a drag in London. - G20 urges Europe to take action first - Vedanta among the few risers after consolidation plans. London's blue chip index sank to its lowest levels of the day by lunchtime, with banks and miners providing a drag, while Eurozone debt concerns continued to we
Read moreLondon open: Stocks sink early on, Essar leads the fall
27th Feb 2012 08:55
- Essar drops after full-year results. - Vedanta confirms merger of Indian subsidiaries. - HSBC beats expectations in 2011. London's blue chip index fell sharply in early trading on Monday after a G20 meeting failed to alleviate concerns over the economic crisis in Europe. Essar Energy and the mine
Read moreTop line growth across the board at AB Foods
27th Feb 2012 07:30
Associated British Foods, the foods group which also owns the Primark clothes store, said its interim results will be in line with expectations with all parts of the business delivering revenue growth. Adjusted operating profit will be ahead of last year's interim outcome, while net debt at the hal
Read moreBroker tips: Oil stocks, Diageo, AB Foods
20th Jan 2012 11:52
Credit Suisse slashed its fourth quarter earnings per share (EPS) across the global Integrated Oil sector, assessing its coverage on UK stocks Shell, BP and BG. For Royal Dutch Shell, Credit Suisse anticipates a "particularly weak" fourth quarter and cut its EPS forecast by 29%. An outperform ratin
Read moreBroker snap: UBS raises target for AB Foods
20th Jan 2012 10:56
After strong-than-expected performance at Primark, UBS has raised its its price target for the retail chain's owner Associated British Foods which it marks as a buy. AB Foods announced yesterday that group revenue rose 12% in the first 16 weeks of the financial year, helped by an "exceptional sales
Read moreFriday broker round-up -UPDATE
20th Jan 2012 09:17
Pearson: Credit Suisse raises target price to 1,210p from 1,175p. Polymetal: Credit Suisse downgrades to neutral from outperform; cuts target to 1,040p from 1,180p. William Hill: Credit Suisse raises target price to 227p from 214p. Man: Deutsche Bank upgrades to hold from sell. Petrofac: JP Mor
Read moreFriday tips round-up: AB Foods and Cluff Gold
20th Jan 2012 06:55
The Tempus column in the Times leads with Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of the Primark chain of discount shops and also a major sugar producer. Tempus argues that this is a defensive stock, with a very wide spread of businesses. Primark is doing well, with total sales up 16%, while the
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
19th Jan 2012 09:52
Tesco: Goldman Sachs downgrades to neutral from buy. Morrison: Goldman reiterates sell. Sainsbury: Goldman downgrades to sell from neutral. Tobacco (sector): Nomura downgrades sector view from bullish to neutral. Tesco: AlphaValue downgrades to add from buy, raises target to 402.90p from 401.4
Read moreAB Foods sees Primark strong but eyes commodity costs
19th Jan 2012 08:42
Associated British Foods, the firm behind retailer Primark and food brands such as Twinings and Ryvita, said that group revenue rose 12% in the first 16 weeks of its accounting year. This was helped by an "exceptional sales performance" from its Sugar and Primark divisions, which saw sales growth
Read moreLondon pre-open: IMF reports continue to buoy markets
19th Jan 2012 07:32
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 7 points from yesterday's close of 5,702 as stocks continue to rise following Wednesday's reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is boosting its lending capacity. Associated British Foods, the firm behind retailer Primark and food brands su
Read moreThursday preview: ASOS, William Hill, AB Foods
18th Jan 2012 16:00
Attention will be back on the retail sector on Thursday with Primark-owner Associated British Foods due to report, and fast-growing Internet retailer ASOS weighing in. Meanwhile, the 'pint and a punt' constituency are served by updates from brewer SABMiller and bookmaker William Hill. ASOS's tradin
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