Wednesday preview: Compass, Johnson Matthey, BoE minutes ...
22nd Nov 2011 14:55
Contract caterer Compass brings out full-year figures on Wednesday, with the market expecting profits before tax to burst through the billion pounds barrier. Market consensus is for pre-tax profit of £1.01bn on turnover of £15.6bn. Earnings per share are set to rise to 38.7p from 35.7p last year,
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
21st Nov 2011 08:23
RBS: Banco Espirito Santo lowers to neutral, cuts target to 22p from 51p. Centrica: Investec puts target price under review, buy rating unchanged. Capita: Credit Suisse cuts target from 780p to 770p, outperform rating kept. Capital Shopping Centres: Seymour Pierce maintains reduce stance and 324
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: Virgin Money, Eurozone bonds, Resolution
20th Nov 2011 14:00
The big danger for some investors and strategists is that Eurozone bond markets might be broken beyond repair. Matt King, a credit Strategist at Citi, thinks the point of no return was passed long ago. He compares the situation to the triple A U.S. collateralized debt obligation market in 2008 when
Read moreWeek Ahead: Diploma, Compass, central bank minutes
18th Nov 2011 10:33
Next week's batch of expected trading updates is light on FTSE 100 heavyweights and heavy on the second-liners. A number of utilities are due to declare, while there is also a boozy feel to the week with pub groups Enterprise Inns and Mitchells & Butlers going head to head on Tuesday, while London-f
Read moreUPDATE: Friday broker round-up
28th Oct 2011 09:13
HSBC/Standard Chartered: Citi chief economist William Buiter argues today that: "World trade is set for a prolonged boom and a marked transformation. Transaction banking and trade finance should track the direction of trade and economic growth in the long term. (...) Standard Chartered and HSBC shou
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Compass, Homeserve, Shanks
30th Sep 2011 06:27
The trading update from the catering giant Compass did not do much for its share price yesterday. This is a resilient business with a strong balance sheet, so much so that some analysts are eyeing the possibility of a capital return to shareholders in the not-too-distant future. Moreover, on multipl
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Tate & Lyle sweeten its way to the top
29th Sep 2011 14:42
Sweeteners group Tate & Lyle was leading the way up after announcing that it expects to perform in line with expectations over the full year after a strong performance in the six months to 30 September. In the speciality food ingredients division, corn-based speciality sweetener and starch volumes
Read moreLondon midday: No rally for FTSE 100 despite Bundestag vote
29th Sep 2011 12:16
London has failed to join European bourses higher following the passing through the German Bundestag of plans to expand the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF). There were just 85 votes against the idea of expanding the Eurozone's bailout fund, while 523 members of Germany's parliament voted
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall back as euro saga drags on
29th Sep 2011 08:24
Stocks have fallen back in early dealings amid continuing edginess over the Eurozone crisis. All eyes are on the German Bundestag as lawmakers vote on an expansion of the Eurozone bailout fund. Sweeteners group Tate & Lyle is in demand after saying it expects to perform in line with expectations
Read more"Good" performance from Compass, volumes under pressure
29th Sep 2011 07:31
Compass said it put in "another good performance" in the fourth quarter of the financial year, with organic revenue growth expected to exceed 4%, though the catering giant has seen some pressure on volumes recently. Over the full year, Compass expects total revenue growth of 9%, or about 5% on an o
Read moreUPDATE: Friday broker round-up
23rd Sep 2011 09:42
Tesco: Evolution upgrades from sell to neutral. Tesco: Nomura keeps its buy recommendation. Kingfisher: Nomura reiterates buy rating. Carnival: Charles Stanley keeps accumulate rating. HSBC: Evolution Securities maintains sell rating. Euromoney Institutional Investor: Investec retains buy rati
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Compass hit by broker targets
20th Sep 2011 12:59
Catering firm Compass was one of just a handful of fallers after Goldman Sachs reduced its earnings per share estimate from 39.61p to 39.39p. The broker's rating of the firm remained the same and it also maintained its 715p price target. RBC Capital Markets also cut its earnings forecast, as well as
Read moreLondon close: Footsie tumbles over 2%
2nd Sep 2011 16:30
The Footsie finished over 2% down on Friday, as London was not immune from the global sell-off, meaning that just eight out of the 100 blue chips stocks closed in the blue. After a poor start in early trade, sentiment was dampened after a worse-than-expected jobs report in the US which showed that n
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stuck lower ahead of jobs data
2nd Sep 2011 12:27
London's leading share index is firmly in the red now, giving up gains from earlier this week ahead of the big US jobs report due this afternoon. The eagerly awaited headline results from a clinical trial comparing AstraZeneca's cholesterol treatment Crestor to Pfizer's Lipitor have been released,
Read moreLondon open: Stocks give up gains ahead of US jobs report
2nd Sep 2011 08:26
Stocks have given up some of their recent gains amid nervousness ahead of this afternoon's big US jobs report. Among the fallers is drugs behemoth AstraZeneca, which has announced generally favourable results of tests of its cholesterol treatment, CRESTOR, though not the knock-out blow versus LIPIT
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