London open: Corporate results impress as markets await GDP data
25th Oct 2012 08:40
- Unilever, AstraZeneca and miners rise after updates - WPP falls after Q3 disappointment - Markets higher ahead of UK GDP UK stocks edged higher on Thursday morning after a flurry of corporate updates were well received; however gains will likely will be modest this morning ahead of the UK growth
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
25th Oct 2012 08:20
APR Energy: Seymour Pierce upgrades from reduce to hold, target left at 650p. ASOS: Seymour Pierce raises target from 1,900p to 2,350p, hold rating kept. AstraZeneca: Jefferies keeps hold rating and 3,00p target. Berkeley Group: Goldman Sachs upgrades to conviction buy, target lifted from 1,950p
Read moreAstraZeneca beats expectations despite patent cliff
25th Oct 2012 07:17
AstraZeneca continues to feel the effects of the expiry of patents on key brands, with revenues declining in the third quarter, although it has maintained its core earnings per share (EPS) target, as defined by the company, for the full year. Revenues for the quarter at $6,682m were down 15% at con
Read moreThursday preview: AstraZeneca investors looking for reassurance
24th Oct 2012 16:10
Third-quarter earnings season has got into full swing for UK-listed blue chips with pharmaceuticals giants AstraZeneca and Shire due to report on Thursday, along with consumer product titan Unilever. AstraZeneca will update the market on trading on the three months to the end of September, "traditi
Read moreLondon midday: Markets volatile after mixed economic data
24th Oct 2012 11:19
- Stocks react to mixed economic data - FOMC conclusion eyed - ARM extends gains after Q3 results and SAP statement The FTSE 100 was swinging between gains and loss on Wednesday morning as contrasting economic data from China and the Eurozone painted a mixed picture of the global economy. Markets
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
24th Oct 2012 09:25
African Barrick Gold: Investec raises target from 485p to 530p, hold rating kept. Aggreko: Seymour Pierce maintains buy rating and 2,500p target. AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 3,000p target. British American Tobacco: Jefferies keeps buy rating and 3,730p target; Panmure Gordon
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
3rd Oct 2012 09:06
African Barrick Gold: Westhouse Secuirites raises target from 464p to 495p. AG Barr: Panmure Gordon keeps hold rating and 440p target. AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon downgrades from buy to hold, target cut from 3,100p to 3,000p. Barclays: UBS downgrades from buy to neutral, 235p target unchanged. B
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: St.Ives, Workspace, AstraZeneca
3rd Oct 2012 07:03
The Times Tempus column tips St Ives Group, which has moved from the low margin, commoditised world of printing glossy annual reports and magazines. Its print division now produces books and marketing material, such as point of sale displays and posters. This combines well with its second and growin
Read moreLondon close: Spanish concerns dampen stocks
2nd Oct 2012 16:37
- Moody's to reveal Spanish review this month - Banks provide a drag on the Footsie - Bumi and Bank of Georgia are big movers on FTSE 250 After a morning rally into the blue, the Footsie had dropped back into negative territory by the close of trade on Tuesday with uncertainty surrounding Spain con
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Babcock boosted by buoyant markets
2nd Oct 2012 15:51
Engineering support firm Babcock was performing well today after saying it was enjoying buoyant markets as customers turned to it to make cost savings. Jefferies, Seymour Pierce and Investec all hailed the first-half trading update as "in line", maintaining their 'buy' ratings for the stock while sa
Read moreBroker tips: Babcock, AstraZeneca, Hammerson
2nd Oct 2012 12:10
Jefferies reiterated its 'buy' recommendation and 970p target price for Babcock, saying that the business is "holding a steady course". "While the bid pipeline remains at £13bn, more opportunities are emerging at tracking stage including equipment support and training for the MOD. Babcock is a majo
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks swing into the blue
2nd Oct 2012 11:38
- Stocks shrug off Spanish bailout concerns - RBA cuts rates - Babcock and Wolseley rise strongly after updates After a poor start on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 had swung into positive territory by lunchtime with gains from Babcock, Wolseley and International Consolidated Airlines (otherwise known as IA
Read moreBroker snap: Downgrades likely for AstraZeneca, says Credit Suisse
2nd Oct 2012 10:18
Credit Suisse has reduced its forecasts for pharmaceuticals group AstraZeneca after the firm announced on Monday that it had suspended its share repurchase programme with immediate effect. In one of his first acts since becoming Astra's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in August, Pascal Soriot reveale
Read moreLondon close: Stocks surge after US data, Spanish stress tests
1st Oct 2012 16:45
- US data beats forecasts in September - Reports imply Germany may soften stance on Greece - Banks and miners rise strongly in London - Credit Suisse says Spanish stress test a "generally credible exercise" - Credit Suisse says larger top-down questions remain in stress tests Better-than-forecast m
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Xstrata rises after agreeing to merger with Glencore
1st Oct 2012 14:46
The big news of the day was that the so-called merger of equals between commodities trader Glencore and mining titan Xstrata is back on after the independent directors of the latter agreed to Glencore's terms. Jefferies reiterated its positive stance on both stocks this morning, saying that while th
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