Tuesday tips round-up: Bunzl, Staffline, Microgen...
28th Feb 2012 06:52
In the Times, Tempus is tempted by a scoop of non-food products goliath, Bunzl, whose plastic spoons, bags and cleaning products are in high demand in the US, Brazil and Australia. The company likes to grow by making small acquisitions of family owned companies, the strategy seems to be working, w
Read moreLondon close: Stocks rally after Germany approves Greek bailout
27th Feb 2012 16:57
- Germany approves Greek bailout. - Oil prices threaten to derail economic recovery. - Essar drops 15% after full-year results. UK stocks rallied in afternoon trade after the German parliament voted in favour of the €130bn bailout for Greece. The FTSE 100 surged by over 50 points in the final two h
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Essar Energy drops on results
27th Feb 2012 14:32
Leading the way lower was India-focused power generation and oil and gas group Essar Energy, after reporting a sharp drop in profits in the 12 months ended December 31st. When accounting for the reversal of a sales tax benefit - due to the Indian Supreme Court ruling against a sales tax deferment -
Read moreLondon midday: Essar, HSBC drag Footsie down 0.85pc
27th Feb 2012 12:04
- Essar, HSBC provide a drag in London. - G20 urges Europe to take action first - Vedanta among the few risers after consolidation plans. London's blue chip index sank to its lowest levels of the day by lunchtime, with banks and miners providing a drag, while Eurozone debt concerns continued to we
Read moreBunzl shrugs off UK lethargy
27th Feb 2012 07:49
Profits at acquisitive distribution and outsourcing firm Bunzl were comfortably ahead of expectations in 2011, with the new bits and the old bits of the company all chipping in with strong performances. Revenue rose 6%, or 7% using constant exchange rates, to £5,109.5m in 2011 from £4,829.6m in 201
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish lower on macro concerns
14th Feb 2012 16:24
-Banks, miners weigh on Footsie. -Markets digest sovereign downgrades from Moody's. -Investors await Eurogroup meeting tomorrow. UK stocks finished in the red on Tuesday as concerns over the state of the Eurozone continued to weigh on sentiment. Trade was volatile as mid-morning gains on the back o
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Bunzl in top spot after rating upgrade
14th Feb 2012 13:47
Distribution and outsourcing firm Bunzl was the top of the risers list after JP Morgan upped its recommendation from neutral to overweight on valuation grounds. "We believe that the recent relative underperformance could be a good entry point ahead of FY results on 27 February," the US broker said.
Read moreLondon midday: German ZEW survey provides a boost to UK stocks
14th Feb 2012 11:48
- German ZEW expectations index swings into positive territory. - Moody's downgrades six nations, cuts outlook for three others to negative. - Bunzl, Barclays higher after broker upgrades. After an initial slump on the back of a mass downgrade of European sovereigns by Moody's, a sharp rise was rec
Read moreLondon close: Muted reaction to S&P as Footsie rises 0.4%
16th Jan 2012 16:29
The market reaction to S&P's mass downgrade of nine Eurozone nations was fairly muted on Monday, with the Footsie finishing at its highest levels of the day, as many argue that the downgrades of France and Austria (both rated AAA previously) were already priced in. Meanwhile, the results of the late
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Carnival falls after cruise ship crash
16th Jan 2012 14:22
Big news on the FTSE 100 today was cruise operator Carnival, which fell 17% after one of its ships grounded off the coast of Italy at the weekend. The company said that the cost of not having the Costa Concordia in service will be between $85m and $95m. The stock was not helped by a downgrade from M
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie flat as markets digest S&P move
16th Jan 2012 11:54
After a stint in the blue, and the red, the Footsie was trading flat by midday on Monday, as the markets digested the S&P move to downgrade nine Eurozone countries on Friday evening. Eyes are on France as the nation looks to issued €8.7bn in government debt today. Standard & Poor's (S&P) "finally"
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse downgrades Bunzl to underperform
16th Jan 2012 10:18
Credit Suisse has downgraded its rating for distribution and outsourcing firm Bunzl from neutral to underperform, saying the "valuation has gone too far". "We appreciate Bunzl's defensive, cash generative qualities at a time of macro concern, but after a strong run (34% in five months vs. FTSE All
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
16th Jan 2012 08:48
Capita: Bank of America-Merrill Lynch downgrades to neutral from buy. Carnival: Credit Suisse keeps neutral rating and 2,285p target; Morgan Stanley downgrades to neutral from outperform, target cut from 2,700p to 1,800p. Amec: Goldman Sachs upgrades to buy from neutral. Morrisons: Deutsche Bank
Read moreLondon close: French downgrade rumours sink Footsie
13th Jan 2012 16:34
Markets turned south in afternoon trade on rumours of imminent action by ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) to downgrade the ratings of several Eurozone countries. A senior Eurozone government official has been cited as saying that both France and Austria could have their ratings downgraded by
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Invensys in bottom spot
13th Jan 2012 13:25
Engineering and software group Invensys found itself in last place following a profit warning. A disappointing 12 months has got a lot worse as the company issued a warning on profits after uncovering a number of problems with the delivery of contracted work. Shares dropped nearly 21% after the co
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