Profit falls at Character as UK sales shrink
4th Dec 2012 07:44
Sluggish UK sales drove down annual earnings at toys and games firm Character Group and it now expects first half results to February 2013 to be disappointing. The group, which sells branded ranges such as Peppa Pig, Fireman Sam and Scooby Doo, said pre-tax profit fell to £7.08m for the year ended
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
4th Dec 2012 07:35
Anite: Panmure Gordon moves target price from 163p to 165p; buy recommendation kept. Canaccord Genuity raises target price from 143p to 169p and maintains a buy recommendation. Ashtead: Seymour Pierce raises target price from 400p to 460p and reiterates its buy recommendation. Barclays: Credit Sui
Read moreCharacter Group issues profit warning for 2013
9th Nov 2012 15:54
Character Group, a toys and games company, has issued a profits warning for the financial year ending August 31st 2013. It said: "Whilst sales in September were on budget, October sales showed a steep decline. The group now considers that it will fall materially short of its budgeted sales to Chris
Read moreCharacter likely to miss full year expectations
27th Jul 2012 11:27
Shares in Character Group, a toys and games company, fell more than 11 per cent on Friday after admitting that it is looking increasingly unlikley that the group will not be able to achieve its forecasts for the year ended August 31st. The troubled firm said it saw an increase in the volume of clea
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Clean Air Power, ZOO Digital, Hasgrove...
26th Apr 2012 11:53
Clean Air Power, a combustion technology developer, has announced that supermarket chain Sainsbury has increased its order for an additional 10 units of Clean Air Power's Genesis Edge Dual-Fuel system, which is used to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel costs. This additional order will be delivered duri
Read moreInternational Power CFO sells entire stake in the firm
29th Feb 2012 15:38
Mark Williamson, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of International Power, the FTSE 100 power generator, has sold over a million pounds worth of shares in the firm. The move means he no longer holds any shares in the company. Williamson, who has been CFO since 2003, sold 409,684 shares, which be
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
6th Feb 2012 09:12
Supergroup: Oriel Securities upgrades to buy from hold. Glencore: Jefferies ups target from 525p to 575p, confirms buy rating; Credit Suisse maintains outperform rating and 550p target. Royal Dutch Shell: Credit Suisse downgrades from outperform to neutral, cuts target from 2,750p to 2,600p. Xst
Read moreCharacter on track despite weak sales
18th Jan 2012 07:15
Toys and games company Character Group said, despite weak sales to date, it still expects to meet current market expectations for the financial year ending 31 August 2012. "We believe that the group's key brands have held up well with no substantial casualties," it said in a company statement. F
Read moreCharacter Group enjoys robust year
29th Nov 2011 08:03
Toys, games and giftware firm Character Group revealed a 19.8% hike in full year pre-tax profit and said while it has reduced its sales forecasts for the current year, it expects to maintain profit in 2012 at similar levels to this year. Pre-tax profit rose to £9.05m in the year ended 31 August 201
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Abcam, National Express, IG
14th Sep 2011 06:34
Abcam initially produced primary antibodies, tools used in genetic research. Four fifths of its products go into laboratories and other research facilities funded by the public purse, which is a weakness. The company floated on AIM in 2005 with a market capitalisation of £57.5 million and is now wor
Read moreLondon close: Good gains as FTSE 100 rallies
13th Sep 2011 16:58
Stocks rediscovered their earlier buoyancy to finish with strong gains as hopes of a resolution of the euro crisis attracted buyers. Today's big mover, Cairn Energy, fell sharply after reporting disappointing results from its drilling campaign offshore Greenland, with one well coming up dry and ano
Read moreLondon midday: Eurozone worries resurface
13th Sep 2011 12:07
This morning's bright start seems a distant memory now, with shares firmly in the red as worries over the Eurozone situation take centre stage again. Today's big mover, Cairn Energy is sharply lower after reporting disappointing results from its offshore drilling campaign offshore Greenland, with o
Read moreCharacter tries to calm fears
13th Sep 2011 10:18
The toys, games and giftware company, Character Group says its year end results will meet market expectations. The firm, which produces branded toys such as Peppa Pig, Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam, says it felt obliged to update investors amidst the current economic gloom. In a nod to what many
Read moreCharacter confident despite expected second half slowdown
19th Apr 2011 15:54
Toys and giftware distributor Character Group announced a strong rise revenue for the half year ended to 28th February but is bracing itself for a slowdown in sales in the second half. Profit before tax rose 78% to £6.64m from £3.73m the year before on sales that rose 34.7% to £6.64m from £43.1m a
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Henderson Smaller Cos, Forte Energy, Vane Minerals...
19th Jan 2011 11:01
Small cap-focused trust Henderson Smaller Companies achieved a total return of 22.1% for the half-year to 30 November, putting the benchmark index - up 12.7% - in the shade. The trust, which increased total pre-tax profit from £37.9m to £42.6m, said it expects the markets to remain "choppy", but t
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