Broker tips: Smith and Nephew, Compass, Hansteen
28th Mar 2012 11:18
Investec has this morning downgraded its rating for medical devices maker Smith and Nephew from buy to hold and cut the target price slightly from 663p to 660p. "We move our recommendation from buy to hold as, whilst we think the business is making good progress, the combination of what looks like
Read moreBroker snap: Nomura not worried by flat margins at Compass
28th Mar 2012 10:39
Following yesterday's trading update from contract caterer Compass Group, Nomura has reiterated its buy rating and 800p target price for the stock, saying that it remains its preference in the European leisure sector. "CPG remains one of our top sector picks because of structural growth in the cate
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Compass, Enquest, Rio Tinto
28th Mar 2012 06:49
Tempus in The Times defends catering and contract cleaning group Compass from rather pernickety analyst notes about slowing growth. For the first half of the year organic growth (that is, stripping out acquisitions) was 5% versus the previous year's 5.5%. Tempus points out Compass is still a cash
Read moreLondon close: Oil and gas stocks slump after North Sea gas leak
27th Mar 2012 16:27
- Elgin gas leak weighs on stocks - Wolseley, Compass disappoint after updates - Banks rise, RBS wanted on speculation UK stocks slumped in afternoon trade as earlier optimism quickly faded with consumer confidence data from the US disappointing late on. Meanwhile, oil and gas heavyweights were pro
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: RBS in top spot following sale speculation
27th Mar 2012 14:09
RBS was in pole position following several reports which claimed that UK Financial Investments, the body which administers public holdings in RBS, has held meetings with Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund to sell between 10 and 30 per cent of the government's stake. Kazakhmys was on the up after th
Read moreLondon midday: Gains pared despite strong performance by banks
27th Mar 2012 11:55
- Government may cut stake in RBS - Defensives sold off - Resolution could split before sale The Footsie was nearly back where it started by midday, after gains were trimmed as heavy losses for Resolution, Compass and utilities stocks weighed on the blue chip index. The earlier rise for London's
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
27th Mar 2012 09:21
Aberdeen Asset Management: UBS ups target from 300p to 310p, buy recommendation maintained. Babcock: Investec raises target from 810p to 850p, buy rating kept; Peel Hunt reiterates buy rating and 855p target; Jefferies keeps buy rating and 780p target. Bellway: Investec downgrades from buy to hold
Read moreLondon open: RBS leads the rise early on
27th Mar 2012 08:46
- Government may cut stake in RBS - Rio Tinto considers offloading diamond interests - Resolution could split before sale A strong performance by the banks helped push the FTSE 100 higher on Tuesday morning as the market continues to be boosted by recent comments by US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Read moreSales growth to come in smaller portions at Compass
27th Mar 2012 07:15
Contract caterer Compass maintained its full year guidance despite admitting that like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in the first half of its financial year is likely to be slower than that seen in the corresponding period a year earlier. The group said the slow-down in LFL sales growth could largely
Read moreTuesday preview: Wolseley, Compass
26th Mar 2012 19:19
Having expanded rapidly prior to the recession in the last decade, plumbers' merchant Wolseley has spent the last few years slimming down again and slashing its debt mountain, but it seems to be on an even keel again now. The firm releases interim results on Tuesday and broker Charles Stanley is pr
Read moreBroker tips: Legal&General, IMI, Compass
15th Mar 2012 12:33
Nomura has today raised its target price on Legal&General to 182p from 180p, adding that they continue to be buyers. They begin their research note by calling attention to the success of its so-called ´capital-light strategy´ at growing its asset management and unit-linked savings business, which
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse ups target on Compass
15th Mar 2012 11:44
Credit Suisse has this morning decided to raise its price target on shares of food and support services firm Compass. The above due to both cyclical and structural factors. As regards the former, these analysts highlight the fact that, "cyclical trends are encouraging especially in the US with hour
Read moreCompass gets approval for South African purchase
8th Mar 2012 07:18
Compass Group, the catering and services firm, has won approval for its acquisition of South African cleaning company Supercare Services. The deal was announced in November but needed regulatory approval from the South African authorities for completion. Compass shares have done well in the last 1
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Meggitt dives on gloomy outlook
6th Mar 2012 14:53
Meggitt, the engineering company focused on the aerospace, defence and energy markets, fell after warning investors that the outlook for defence expenditure in the US, its single most important military market, continues to be challenging in the medium term, given the requirement for the administrat
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slight drop predicted for FTSE opening
6th Mar 2012 07:39
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open down five points from yesterday's close of 5,875, as concerns over China's economy linger on and positive US data fails to boost investor sentiment. Worth noting, today's Financial Times Deutschland is running an article entitled "Troika is preparing for
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