JPMorgan keeps Ashtead at 'overweight'
17th Jun 2015 10:13
Shares in equipment rental group Ashtead was rebounding slightly on Wednesday after a cool reaction to its full-year results the previous day, with JPMorgan Cazenove providing a boost after keeping an 'overweight' rating. The broker said that after a recent poor share-price performance, "we see an a
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Tobacco stocks surge on broker comments, miners lower
16th Jun 2015 12:58
London markets hit a five-month low on Wednesday, driven by continued Greece concerns, a sell-off in Chinese markets and weakness in the mining, construction and technology sectors. As of 14:00 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading 0.42% lower at 6,683. British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco led the
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks at lowest since January as Greece hits risk appetite
16th Jun 2015 12:09
London's FTSE 100 dropped below the 6,700 level for the first time in five months on Tuesday as ongoing worries about Greece and a sell-off on Chinese markets dampened risk appetite. The Footsie was down 0.63% at 6,668.31 by midday with the heavyweight mining sector providing a drag. The index has
Read moreLondon open: UK stocks drop to five-month low ahead of CPI data
16th Jun 2015 08:19
UK stocks dropped into the red for a third straight day on Tuesday on the back of ongoing concerns about Greece, a sell-off in China and caution ahead of inflation data. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.55% lower at 6,673.49 early on, after hitting a three-month closing low of 6,710.52 on Monday. The ind
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to pause ahead of UK inflation data
16th Jun 2015 07:35
UK stocks are expected to open more or less flat after plunging to a three-month low on the back of continuing concerns over Greece. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open eight points lower than Monday's close of 6,710.52. This was the index's lowest finish since 10 March when it settled at 6,
Read moreAshtead drops as investors take profits after strong full-year results
16th Jun 2015 07:08
Ashtead fell nearly 3% on Tuesday, with traders and analysts pointing to profit-taking after the company beat expectations and posted a 33% rise in full-year pre-tax profit. The industrial equipment hire company reported pre-tax profit of £473.8m, up from £356.5m on the back of strong US and UK mark
Read moreLondon close: Stocks end lower on Greek worries
29th May 2015 17:42
Shares ended the week on a down note, as worries over Greece continued to weigh on investors' minds. Even so, speaking after the close of markets the Mediterranean country's economics minister, Giorgios Stathakis, said Athens will be able to repay the first tranche of its loans to the IMF on 5 June.
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Weir and Associated British Foods surge on upgrades
29th May 2015 12:44
UK stocks shook off early morning caution by the afternoon, making modest gains in spite of Greek debt and panic selling on Chinese markets. As of 14:00 BST, the FTSE 100 was trading 0.04% higher at 7,044. Weir topped the risers as Credit Suisse raised its price target on the stock to 2,205p, citin
Read moreLondon close: Stocks edge higher after choppy session amid Greek uncertainty
28th May 2015 16:38
London's stocks finished a choppy session in the green, though gains were only modest as sentiment continued to be dominated by mixed newsflow from Greece. The FTSE 100 settled the session up 7.59 points (+0.11%) at 7,040.92 after swinging between gains and losses for most of the day, with trading v
Read moreAshtead drops following comments from US competitor
28th May 2015 15:30
Shares in US equipment rental company United Rentals Inc dropped 6% on Thursday, with traders pointing to comments from the company at KeyBanc capital markets conference, during which it played down activity in May. London-listed peer Ashtead fell 3.3% on the FTSE 100.
Read moreLondon close: Market recoups previous session's losses
27th May 2015 15:47
UK stocks closed higher on Wednesday, rebounding from heavy losses in the previous session, buoyed by strength in the construction, electricity and tobacco sectors. The FTSE 100 experienced few surprises and gained steadily throughout the day, closing 1.24% higher at 7,034.9. The index had plunged 1
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: CRH surges on Holcim offer, Weir Group hit by downgrade
27th May 2015 12:33
UK stocks rebounded from the previous session's sell-off as gains made by tobacco, construction, electronics and utilities stocks outweighed weakness in mining and industrial metals. As of 13:45, the FTSE 100 was trading points 47.1 points higher at 6,996. Shares in building materials group CRH sur
Read moreLondon midday: Imperial and CRH lead the rebound before Queen's Speech
27th May 2015 11:39
Investors managed to take advantage of a quiet morning to push UK stocks higher on Wednesday following a sell-off the previous day. The FTSE 100 was up 0.57% at 6,988.37 by midday, with blue chips Imperial Tobacco and CRH leading the rise, along with a host of other construction and building materia
Read moreCredit Suisse's names its top European stock picks
5th May 2015 13:44
Credit Suisse published it latest list of top European investment ideas on Tuesday. Here's a pick of one from each sector. In the consumer space, CS highlighted Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, saying that from a fundamental perspective, the €15 share price and €0.367 dividend do not reflect the c
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
18th Mar 2015 12:41
Johnson Matthey: Deutsche Bank reiterates buy and 3,850p target. BAE Systems: Morgan Stanley lifts target to 570p from 515p and reiterates equalweight. BT Group: Nomura and UBS reiterate buy. Ashtead Group: UBS raises target to 1,130p from 1,070p and reiterates neutral. Rotork: Morgan Stanley imp
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