Broker snap: BATS's optimism impresses
18th May 2011 12:50
Nomura has upped its target price by 5% for tobacco titan British American Tobacco, saying that the company has a commitment to margin progression, good pricing visibility, and improving volume trends. The broker said the group's investor event saw senior management present a "self-assured outlook"
Read moreMichael Page boss trousers £1.2m
13th May 2011 16:13
Charles-Henri Dumon, who is in charge of Michael Page's operations in continental Europe and the Americas, has pocketed nearly £1.2m from the sale of shares in the firm. He offloaded 220,000 shares at 543.59 a time and still has 736,886. Dumon joined Michael Page in 1985 and was appointed a Direct
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish ahead of Royal Wedding
28th Apr 2011 16:46
Stocks finished flat heading into the long weekend, though there was no shortage of company updates for investors to digest. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans to step up
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Shire and Astra take a hit
28th Apr 2011 15:25
Drug groups Shire and AstraZeneca are lower are reporting their first quarter results. While Shire posted a strong rise in revenues and profits in the period, sentiment seems to have been hit by sector peer Astra which cited US healthcare reform measures and generic competition as the reasons why it
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 seeking direction after updates
28th Apr 2011 12:05
A stream of updates from big-hitters such as Shell and Unilever has failed to give the top share index any overall sense of direction. Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread shrugged off the economic difficulties said to be plaguing Britain as it upped its dividend by 17% and announced plans
Read moreBATS grows market share despite falling volumes
28th Apr 2011 08:34
While volumes at British American Tobacco (BATS) declined in the first quarter, the cigarette maker assured investors that it was able to grow market share across all its regions. Group volumes fell 2.4% in the three months ended 31 March, from 168bn to 164bn, while organic volumes showed a 1.8% de
Read moreBrainspark chief executive takes shares
4th Apr 2011 15:52
The chief executive of investment company Brainspark, Alfredo Villa, has spent £112,500 on shares in the company. He took 31,000 shares, paying 34.5p a share. Following the acquisition and the conversion of some other shares awarded to Villa into ordinary shares, he now has about 5.3m ordinary shar
Read moreSector movers: Dixons drags retailers lower
30th Mar 2011 16:17
PC World and Currys owner Dixons Retail has seen its share price drop by almost a fifth, dragging the general retailing sector lower. The group's full-year profits will be down from last year, as consumer confidence in Britain and elsewhere continues to deteriorate, the electrical retailer said.
Read moreLondon afternoon: Market consolidates gains
24th Mar 2011 14:24
Footsie has maintained most of its gains from the morning but there are signs that it is running out of steam even though Wall Street opened in positive territory. Wall Street has been heading lower since the start and it is only just still in positive territory. The two large earthquakes in Bu
Read moreLondon midday: Shares back in fashion
24th Mar 2011 12:25
Footsie burst through the 5800 barrier this morning and continued heading higher, helped by some strong updates from retailers Next and Kingfisher. Both firms made good money last year and increased their dividends accordingly. Next paraded a 9% rise in full-year profit to a new record, exactly wh
Read moreLondon open: Retailers shine in dull market
24th Mar 2011 08:12
Retailers are in focus in London, providing some badly needed interest in a market that has been sleep-walking since the Chancellor of the Exchequer stood up to give his speech yesterday. Next paraded a 9% rise in full-year profit to a new record, exactly what the City was expecting following guida
Read moreJohnston Press chairman buys again
21st Mar 2011 16:59
Johnston Press chairman Ian Russell has nearly doubled his stake in the local newspaper publisher. Russell acquired 1.3m shares at 7.65p each, taking his stake to 2.71m shares. The share purchase cost just over £99,000. The Johnston Press share price has fallen by nearly three-quarters in the pa
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Ex-dividend declines fuel index fall
9th Mar 2011 15:26
Shares going ex-dividend dominate the fallers in the Footsie today. British American Tobacco is the biggest faller but the share price has declined by slightly less than the 81p a share final dividend. Standard Chartered has fallen by more than its 29.8p a share dividend. Miner BHP Billiton has
Read moreSector movers: Life insurers on the rise
4th Mar 2011 12:59
The life insurance sector is rising higher on Friday with blue chips Standard Life and Aviva among those performing well. Aviva - which yesterday announced it had ramped up profits by 35% last year - was given an extra lift by Japanese broker Nomura which said that the group offers investors good g
Read moreBroker tips: BATS, IAG, Capita
25th Feb 2011 12:49
Even though volumes at British American Tobacco (BATS) were down in 2010, Nomura likes the 2011 outlook and stays positive on the tobacco giant. The Japanese broker says that second half volumes (-4%) were always going to be volatile given tax hikes in Japan and the Pakistan uncertainty, due to the
Read more