Bellway hikes dividend 50 per cent and eyes major volume growth
15th Oct 2013 07:47
Buoyed by exceptional prospects for the UK housing market and a bulging order book, builder Bellway has lifted its final dividend 50 per cent. The FTSE 250 housebuilder enjoyed a superlative year to July 31st, with revenues up 10.6% to £1.11bn, and said customer demand since had grown even further
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: N Brown declines on flat earnings per share
9th Oct 2013 15:37
Online and catalogue retailer N Brown fell after reporting an 8.0 per cent rise in revenue and 5.9 per cent increase in operating profits in the first half. Adjusted earnings per share, however, were broadly flat, up just 0.6 per cent at 12.55p. Meanwhile, house builders Barratt Developments and B
Read moreSector movers: Bullish Goldman note boosts house builders
9th Oct 2013 14:47
An aggressively bullish note from analysts at Goldman Sachs put a rocket up housebuilding and estate agency stocks on Wednesday. The influential broker said valuations for residential construction companies were too conservative, with the government's Help to Buy scheme helping lift British house
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
9th Oct 2013 07:57
Air Partner: Liberum Capital initiates with a target price of 555p and a buy recommendation. Alent: Credit Suisse moves target price from 420p to 430p and keeps an outperform rating. AZ Electronic Materials: Credit Suisse revises target price from 350p to 330p, while staying with its neutral ratin
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: House builders given boost
30th Sep 2013 15:54
Bellway, Barratt Development, and Taylor Wimpey were among the best performing stocks on the FTSE 250 this afternoon as the outlook for the UK housing market continues to brighten. JPMorgan upgraded its rating for Barratt today to 'overweight', although cut Bovis Homes to 'underweight'. Keller Grou
Read moreSector movers: Housebuilders boosted by 'Help to Buy', economic data
30th Sep 2013 14:28
An improving outlook for the UK housing market gave stocks in the home construction sector a bit of a boost on Monday, one of the few categories immune to the wider market sell-off. Stocks were lifted by the weekend's news that the second phase of the government's housing stimulus scheme, 'Help to
Read moreLondon midday: Miners drag FTSE 100 to one-month low
30th Sep 2013 11:42
Concerns over a potential government shutdown in the US, political chaos in Italy and disappointing economic figures from China sparked steep falls on equity markets across Europe on Monday morning, with the FTSE 100 slipping to levels not seen in a month. The FTSE 100 was trading around 0.85% lowe
Read moreLondon open: US and Italian politics weigh on risk appetite
30th Sep 2013 08:44
Political uncertainty in the US and Italy along with disappointing economic figures from China weighed heavily on risk appetite on Monday morning with mining stocks bearing the brunt of the selling. The FTSE 100 opened around 0.8% lower at 6,458.29 in early trading; the last time it closed lower wa
Read moreLondon close: Stocks sink to three-week low on policy uncertainty
27th Sep 2013 16:32
A cautious start turned into a market-wide sell-off by the close of trade on Friday as nervous investors booked profits ahead of the weekend. The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index finished 52.93 points lower at 6,512.66, its worst closing level in three weeks. The last time it closed lower was on Septe
Read moreSector movers: Housebuilders gain on construction data
13th Sep 2013 14:51
The household goods and home construction sector was the best-performing category on Friday, extending its impressive surge over the last year. Investors seemed to be shrugging off heightened fears of a 'bubble' in the UK housing market and instead are focusing on a continuing improvement in econom
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
6th Sep 2013 08:01
Antofagasta: Canaccord Genuity lowers target price from 1035p to 1020p, while leaving its buy recommendation unchanged. Ashmore Group: Canaccord Genuity downgrades from buy to hold with a target price of 380p. Associated British Foods: Societe Generale upgrades to hold with a target price of 1900p
Read moreSector movers: Mining, housing stocks making gains
16th Aug 2013 14:56
Gold and silver prices cemented recent gains on Friday due to safe-haven demand, pushing shares prices in the mining sector higher in afternoon trade. Precious metals peers Randgold Resources and Fresnillo were standout performers as gold edged closer to a two-month high while silver stayed close
Read moreBellway upbeat as housing recovery continues
8th Aug 2013 07:33
UK house builder Bellway reported improved sales and margins and underlined its confidence in future trading as opened new divisions in the Thames Valley and Manchester. The group completed the sale of 5,652 homes for the year to July 31st, up 8.2% from the same period a year earlier. The average s
Read moreThursday broker round-up UPDATE
8th Aug 2013 07:10
Aquarius Platinum: Investec places its target price (prev.: 46p) under review, while keeping its hold recommendation. Avocet Mining: Canaccord Genuity upgrades from sell to hold with an unchanged target price of 112p. BBA Aviation: Citi raises target price from 292p to 335p reiterating a buy recom
Read moreFriday broker round-up UPDATE
12th Jul 2013 08:11
Ashmore Group: Morgan Stanley cuts target price from 444p to 420p and leaves its equal-weight rating unchanged. JP Morgan ups target price from 339p to 377p maintaining a neutral rating. AstraZeneca: Jefferies reduces target price from 3560p to 3400p, while keeping its hold recommendation. Aviva:
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