London 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
Read moreCompass acquires school meals group
2nd Sep 2011 07:56
Catering giant Compass has been on the acquisition trail again, this time gobbling up a new company in its home market rather than the more exotic countries it has been expanding in lately. It has acquired Cygnet Foods, a provider of lunches to more than 450 schools in England. In 2010, Cygnet had
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Rightmove, Legal &General, Taylor Wimpey
4th Aug 2011 06:49
The phenomenon that is Rightmove chalked up another rock-solid performance in the six months to June. The online property advertising platform seems unstoppable. The shares are a strong hold, even on a gloomy view of the economy and the housing market. Investors of a more sunny disposition should bu
Read moreCompass makes another Turkish acquisition
3rd Aug 2011 10:09
Catering giant Compass has increased its presence in Turkey, gobbling up Obasan, a company that delivers meals to office workers Only last month, Compass completed its acquisition of its Istanbul-based food and support services joint venture Sofra. It said today that Obasan generated revenues of
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, Shire, Compass
29th Jul 2011 11:35
RBS has downgraded UK lending giant Lloyds Banking Group from buy to hold, saying that there appears to be a lack of catalysts for the shares in the near-term. "Given what looks to us like an overambitious top-line strategy, a tough economic backdrop, regulatory uncertainty and limited repatriatio
Read moreBroker snap: Cash returns likely at Compass, UBS raises target
29th Jul 2011 10:14
UBS has reiterated its buy rating and raised its target price for catering giant Compass, saying that the investment case has now shifted to cash returns and cashflow growth. The broker now believes that share repurchases from next year are likely, given that management want to avoid a "lazy balanc
Read moreLondon close: Late rally lifts stocks
28th Jul 2011 16:41
Stocks finished in positive territory after a choppy day, with US economic data helping to spark a late rally. Weekly Initial jobless claims in the world's biggest economy fell below 400,000 for the first time since April and homes sales data also came in ahead of expectations. The rush of company
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks fall back after news flurry
28th Jul 2011 12:00
Stocks are in the red after this morning's splurge of company updates. Anglo-Dutch integrated oil company Royal Dutch Shell fell after it reported net income on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, excluding specific items, of $6.6bn, compared to $4.2bn in the second quarter of last year. The fi
Read moreLondon open: Footsie opens lower after flurry of results
28th Jul 2011 08:34
After a flurry of company results this morning, the Footsie fell into the red. While investors digest the figures, in the back of their minds they are still fretting about the US debt ceiling negotiations, with the Republicans and Democrats set for a show-down later on today in the House of Represen
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