Wednesday broker round-up UPDATE

4th Sep 2013 08:50

Abbey Protection: Numis lowers target price from 120p to 110p keeping a hold recommendation. Antofagasta: Investec takes target price from 707p to 725p, but still recommends selling. Ashtead Group: Numis ups target price from 640p to 670p and retains a hold recommendation. Panmure Gordon increases

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London open: Potential strike on Syria worries investors early on

4th Sep 2013 08:32

Stocks declined on Wednesday morning on concerns over an imminent Western military intervention in Syria, with investors also choosing to scale back positions ahead of a number of 'risk events' later on in the week. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last night gave the green light on a US atta

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London pre-open: Markets turn cautious ahead of busy end to the week

4th Sep 2013 07:27

Markets are expected to open broadly flat on Wednesday morning as heightened fears about imminent Western military intervention in Syria dampen risk appetite. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open more or less unchanged from yesterday's close of 6,468.41. The Senate Foreign Relations Commi

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Ashtead lifts full year view

4th Sep 2013 07:11

Equipment rental company Ashtead Group booked a 24 per cent hike in first quarter revenue, amid strong demand and a tight control on costs, and now expects a full year result ahead of previous expectations. Revenue increased to £410.5m for the first quarter ended July 31st 2013 from £325.0m a year

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Ashtead execs sell off awards after share-price surge

2nd Jul 2013 15:41

Equipment rental business Ashtead has seen a number of board-members sell off their share awards given to them as part of their performance share plan (PSP) in June 2010. Awards given to executives under the PSP vest on the third anniversary of grant subject to continued employment and the achievem

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London close: Markets rebound strongly, Carnival jumps late on

25th Jun 2013 16:44

The FTSE 100 rebounded strongly with a 1.2 per cent jump on Tuesday after coming close to its 2013 low the day before, as concerns over a liquidity crunch in China and reduced stimulus in the US eased, for the time being at least. London's benchmark index finished the session up 73 points at 6,102,

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Sector movers: Housebuilders lifted as mortgage approvals rise

25th Jun 2013 15:45

Construction and materials stocks were performing well on Tuesday after the British Bankers' Association (BBA) revealed that mortgage approvals hit a 16-month high in May. Approvals for house purchases reached 36,102 last month, up from a revised 32,952 the month before, well ahead of the 33,200 co

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FTSE 250 movers: Housebuilders rise after mortgage-approval data

25th Jun 2013 15:09

House builders and construction stocks were performing well on Tuesday after the British Bankers' Association revealed that mortgage approvals for house purchase hit a 16-month high in May of 36,102. This was up from a revised 32,952 the month before, well ahead of the 33,200 consensus forecast and

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Monday broker round-up UPDATE

24th Jun 2013 07:36

Andor Technology: WH Ireland cuts target price from 500p to 380p, while staying with its buy recommendation. Investec upgrades from hold to buy with a target price of 360p. Ashtead Group: Numis raises target price from 582p to 640p, while downgrading to hold. Bellzone Mining: Investec lowers targe

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Friday tips round-up: Ashtead, Oracle, Gulf Keystone

21st Jun 2013 06:43

Equipment rental group Ashtead Group delivered record pre-tax profits on Thursday thanks to the strong performance of its US operation Sunbelt. However, Sunbelt revenues are not going to continue to grow at three times the industry average, according to The Times' Tempus column. But while growth may

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London close: FTSE 100 drops three per cent after Fed signals end to QE

20th Jun 2013 16:58

Equity, bond and commodity markets were a sea of red on Thursday as traders fled from risk in the aftermath of the Federal Reserve's confirmation of its stimulus 'exit strategy'. The FTSE 100 finished down an eye-watering 189 points, falling 2.98% to 6,160. The last time the index was at this level

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FTSE 250 movers: Ted Baker, Ashtead, New World Resources, Man Group

20th Jun 2013 13:56

Ted Baker's shares soared after the fashion chain reported retail sales growth that beat forecasts. The UK company reported a 32.7 per cent rise in overall group sales. Ashtead Group advanced after the equipment rental firm reported a record year of pre-tax profit. Revenue growth, operational effi

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London midday: Markets drop over two per cent in Fed aftermath

20th Jun 2013 11:38

The Federal Reserve may have painted a better picture of the US economy last night, but the concept of a life without quantitative easing (QE) prompted a heavy sell-off on equity markets on Thursday morning, with indices across Europe hit hard following steep losses on Wall Street. The Federal Open

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Thursday broker round-up UPDATE

20th Jun 2013 08:43

Ashtead Group: Jefferies takes target price from 690p to 750p and leaves its buy recommendation unchanged. ASOS: Deutsche Bank increases target price from 3300p to 3800p and reiterates a hold recommendation. Atkins: Liberum Capital takes target price from 1020p to 1100p and maintains a buy recomme

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London open: 'Tapering' concerns hit markets hard as Fed signals end to QE

20th Jun 2013 08:26

Markets across Europe dropped sharply in early trading on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last night signalled that the central bank could soon start to scale back its quantitative easing (QE) programme. Fed confirms QE taper Stocks on Wall Street last night were trading sligh

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