Ashtead makes bolt-on acquisition in US
3rd Apr 2012 07:01
Equipment rental group Ashtead has acquired Philadelphia-based peer Topp Construction Services and its related company Precision Steel Works. The two companies have been bought for a total consideration of $33.5m in cash, which included the among paid to settle Topp's net debt at closing. Topp is
Read moreMonday broker round-up
2nd Apr 2012 09:26
Ashtead: Jefferies reiterates buy rating and 300p target. Bodycote: Jefferies maintains buy recommendation and 475p target; Investec raises target from 400p to 410p, buy rating kept. BT Group: Jefferies raises target from 237p to 268p, buy rating maintained. Centrica: Investec ups target from 423
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
7th Mar 2012 08:33
John Wood: HSBC downgrades to underperform from neutral. Aquarius Platinum: Panmure Gordon upgrades to buy from sell. Lonmin: Panmure Gordon upgrades to buy from sell. Admiral: Nomura maintains buy rating and 1,100p target. Anglo American: AlphaValue upgrades to buy from add and lowers pri
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Michael Page, Meggitt, Ashtead...
7th Mar 2012 06:54
Questor in The Telegraph isn't that keen on recruitment firm Michael Page International. It's made big gains since December on the back of increased hopes for the global economy. On the other hand, it's exposed to Italy and Spain, while banking in the UK is a major part of the business, and that has
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
6th Mar 2012 09:20
Serco: Credit Suisse lifts target price to 650p from 600p, remains at outperform. Capita: Credit Suisse revises target to 820p from 770p, retains outperform. Wolseley: UBS downgrades from buy to hold. Pace: Peel Hunt upgrades from hold to buy, raises target to 99p from 75p. International Power
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall ahead of Greek debt-swap
6th Mar 2012 08:33
- IIF warns of 1trn euro damage to Eurozone. - Fresnillo bucks sector trend to rise after results. - Defensives in demand. With just a couple days to go before the Greek debt-swap deadline, investors were in a cautious mood as the Footsie slipped lower in early trading on Tuesday. Europe is awaiti
Read moreAshtead confident of beating FY expectations
6th Mar 2012 07:14
Plant hire group Ashtead reported record third quarter pre-tax profit and expects full year profit to be significantly ahead of previous company expectations. For the quarter ended 31 January 2012 the group posted pre-tax profit of £21m compared with a £2m loss the same time a year before, helped b
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
10th Jan 2012 09:15
Cairn Energy: Oriel upgrades to add from hold. Tesco: Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgrades to neutral from buy. Marks & Spencer: Panmure Gordon reiterates hold and 307p target; Peel Hunt maintains hold and 350p target. Barclays: UBS cuts target from 215p to 199p, neutral rating unchanged. R
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: American growth, France, RBS, Gold
11th Dec 2011 15:05
Three months ago Barack Obama was firmly in the dock over news that no net jobs were created in August. Some gloomy people even saw a double-dip recession on the way. America, it turns out, was not on the verge of recession, and it still isn't. Fears that the government might shut down on December 1
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: Thomas Cook in pole position
9th Dec 2011 15:11
Thomas Cook occupied the top spot once again, one week before being unceromoniously booted off the footsie 250. Recovering from the blow, shares rose 6%, boosted by news that Thomas Cook India, the country's largest integrated travel financial services company, was selected as the 'Favourite Speci
Read moreLondon close: Stocks plummet after ECB
8th Dec 2011 16:43
The Footsie took a tumble in the afternoon as initial optimism following the European Central Bank (ECB) decision to cut rates quickly faded after a press conference with its president Mario Draghi. In the last two-or-so hours of trade, London's blue chip index dropped more than 100 points from its
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: PZ Cussons share price down the drain
8th Dec 2011 15:53
'Imperial Leather' soap maker PZ Cussons was the biggest faller after it warned that overall profit in the six months to the end of November will come in below expectations. The firm said high raw material costs and adverse exchange rate movement had continued to impact margins in the first half of
Read moreLondon midday: No surprises from BoE, market awaits ECB decision
8th Dec 2011 11:45
After a strong start, the Footsie pared gains by lunchtime, ahead of a busy afternoon and evening in the Eurozone. The Bank of England (BoE) issued no surprises, keeping interest rates on hold. Markets are now awaiting a decision on European Central Bank (ECB) interest rates due out at 12:45 London
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
8th Dec 2011 08:45
Tesco: Nomura keeps buy rating and 500p target. Tesco: Evolution Securities keeps reduce stance and 350p target. Tesco: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 500p target. Standard Chartered: Nomura maintains buy recommendation and 1,800p target. PZ Cussons: Panmure Gordon cuts target from 380p to
Read moreLondon open: Footsie opens up, Tesco's price drops
8th Dec 2011 08:11
The Footsie opened firmly in the blue as investors looked ahead to this evening's EU summit with confidence. Meanwhile, the Bank of England (BoE) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are expected to announce their interest rate decisions after midday. ALL EYES ON THE EURO With the BoE expected to f
Read more