FTSE 100 movers: Next slumps on weak outlook, tobacco stocks lower
19th Mar 2015 13:44
Shares in Next slumped as the fashion retailer took a cautious view of the outlook for the 2015-2016 financial year, saying some of its collections are "not as strong as they were at this point last year". Tobacco stocks such as British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco Group were among the wors
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
17th Mar 2015 11:20
Aviva: Credit Suisse reiterates outperform and 610p target price. Legal&General: JP Morgan Cazenove ups target to 220p from 212p and reiterates underweight. Glencore: Investec reiterates buy and takes target to 328p from 306p. John Wood Group: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold and lowers target to
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Aviva, BT Group
6th Mar 2015 08:12
Market thinking on Aviva's takeover of Friends Life appears to have turned for the better, after the shares' initial negative reaction. The former stands to gain the most from the combination. Certainly, last year's figures show nearly all the company's key metrics heading in the right direction. Ex
Read moreLondon close: FTSE jumps to new record high on ECB stimulus
5th Mar 2015 16:24
Details of the European Central Bank's (ECB) quantitative easing package helped the FTSE 100 to another record close on Thursday, with financial stocks making solid gains by the end of the session. The Footise finished the day 41.9 points higher (+0.61%) at 6,961.14, surpassing a previous closing re
Read moreSector movers: Results from Aviva and Friends Life spark surge among life insurers
5th Mar 2015 14:18
Insurers Aviva and Friends Life Group (FLG) each jumped over 7% on Thursday as investors celebrated the companies' 2014 results ahead of the proposed merger, giving the life insurance sector a big boost in London. The impressive figures also helped to allay fears across the wider sector, showing tha
Read moreFriends Life lifts profits 38% and hikes divi ahead of proposed Aviva takeover
5th Mar 2015 12:22
Ahead of its proposed takeover by larger peer Aviva, insurance group Friends Life Group (FLG) smashed expectations with its 2014 results on Thursday as profits surged and cash generation exceeded guidance. FLG's shares surged in London, buoyed further by forecast-beating full-year numbers from Aviva
Read moreLondon midday: Aviva and Friends Life lead stocks higher ahead of ECB
5th Mar 2015 11:37
UK stocks gains on Thursday with decent gains by insurers Aviva and Friends Life offsetting weakness in the mining sector, as investors took an optimistic approach ahead of a much-anticipated central bank decision in Europe. The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to keep policy unchanged
Read moreBroker tips: Rightmove, Spirax-Sarco, Aviva
5th Mar 2015 10:37
As competition in the property portal space heats up, and on the back of a 54% gain in the share price, the time may have come for investors in Rightmove to move on, Credit Suisse believes. Nonetheless, the Swiss broker continues to like the sector, both in terms of the cyclical and structural growt
Read morePanmure Gordon continues to buy Aviva's equity story
5th Mar 2015 09:23
Life insurer Aviva's latest full-year results provided a small beat with respect to consensus on nearly every key metric. That drove the firm's IFRS net asset value figure to 274p per share, ahead of broker Panmure Gordon's estimate of 240p. The results benefitted from positive back book actions -
Read moreLondon open: Stocks edge higher as investors focus on ECB
5th Mar 2015 08:07
Stocks began the morning moving slightly higher ahead of a key policy meeting of the European Central Bank. Meeting in Cyprus, the assembled central bankers are expected to unveil the monetary authority's latest set of macroeconomic projections, which may provide clues on the extent to which its new
Read moreAviva reports 6% rise in 2014 profits despite currency headwinds
5th Mar 2015 07:40
Insurer Aviva reported a 6% rise in 2014 operating profit in the face of negative currency headwinds. The insurer made an operating profit of $2.17bn last year compared to a forecast of £2.15bn, which led to an increase in operating earnings per share by 10% to 47p from 42.6p in 2013. These results
Read moreLondon close: Greek fears rattle stocks, but miners limit downside
9th Feb 2015 16:35
London's FTSE 100 had trimmed losses by the end of the session but still finished in the red as ongoing concerns about the future of Greece weighed on market sentiment. "Eurozone equities are being ground down by Greek fears, and financial stocks across the EU are bearing the brunt of the sell-off,"
Read moreCredit Suisse upgrades RSA Insurance on capital return potential
22nd Jan 2015 09:07
RSA Insurance's shares were given a boost on Thursday by an upgrade by Credit Suisse from 'neutral' to 'outperform', as the bank delivered an upbeat outlook for the UK insurance sector. Credit Suisse said that RSA's delivery on cost and operating return targets will "provide capacity for a sharp imp
Read moreTuesday's newspaper round-up: William Hill results glitch, Leahy talks...
20th Jan 2015 05:14
William Hill was forced to release its latest trading statement 11 hours earlier than planned after an administrative error, The Telegraph reported. According to the paper, the bookmaker officially sent out the figures, which showed that profits fell 7% in the fourth quarter, at 8pm on Monday, after
Read moreAviva could cut 1,500 jobs following Friends Life takeover
19th Jan 2015 16:11
Insurance company Aviva said it could cut 1,500 jobs following its £5.93bn planned takeover of Friends Life. The British firm said the job cuts, which would amount to almost 5% of the two companies' 31,500 combined workforce, could be implemented by the end of 2017. "We appreciate that this news ma
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