London pre-open: Small lead expected
31st Mar 2011 07:37
UK blue chips look like eking out a handful of gains when trading gets underway at 8am following a decent session in the US last night. In company news, Contract caterer Compass's good start to the new financial year has continued through the six-month period, leaving it comfortable with forecasts
Read moreCompass happy with year forecasts
31st Mar 2011 07:07
Contract caterer Compass's good start to the new financial year has continued through the six-month period, leaving it comfortable with forecasts for the full-year. In a statement ahead of interims on 18 May, the firm said constant currency revenue growth, including the impact of acquisitions, was
Read moreTwo US acquisitions by Compass
8th Mar 2011 16:34
Caterer Compass Group is making two acquisitions in the US. Coffee Distributing Corp is the largest office coffee and refreshment company in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This purchase will provide Compass with wider geographic coverage. The business generated revenue of $63.5m (£39.9m) in
Read moreCompass food inflation worries overdone, Killik says
7th Mar 2011 15:54
Contract caterer Compass is still a "buy" at Killik Capital, which thinks concerns about the sharp increase in food inflation have hit the shares unfairly. Investors have worried that the business won't be able to pass on higher costs, but the broker points out that the firm's business model provid
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Unilever, Compass, GlaxoSmithKline...
4th Feb 2011 06:48
Views on consumer giant Unilever vary. The bulls say that the company's strong brands offer an ideal way into emerging markets. The bears yesterday were worrying about margins. The markets that Unilever occupies are fiercely competitive, and the cost of the commodities it needs are rocketing. As o
Read moreLondon close: Shell continues to provide a drag
3rd Feb 2011 17:05
Footsie failed to hang on to yesterday's 6,000 level and finished 0.28% lower despite Wall Street beginning to recover from its early morning lows towards the end of the London trading session. Royal Dutch Shell stayed the heaviest faller in London despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses grow
3rd Feb 2011 15:26
London is back near intraday lows after an early sell-off on Wall Street. Royal Dutch Shell is still down despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profits thanks to higher energy prices, an increase in production and cost-cutting. Earnings for the last three months of 2010 on a current cost of
Read moreLondon midday: Mixed reception for company updates
3rd Feb 2011 12:31
Stocks have moved in both directions following updates this morning, but fallers hold sway, helping to keep the top share index in the red. Royal Dutch Shell is a faller even though the oil titan more than quadrupled fourth quarter profits thanks to higher energy prices, an increase in production a
Read moreLondon open: Mixed reception for company updates
3rd Feb 2011 08:27
Stocks are moving in both directions after updating the market and the top share index is currently in the red by about a dozen points. Royal Dutch Shell is a faller even though the oil titan more than quadrupled fourth quarter profits thanks to higher energy prices, an increase in production and c
Read moreCompass Q1 sales up 5%
3rd Feb 2011 07:47
Contract caterer Compass Group said revenue growth seen in the second half of 2010 continued into the first quarter of the new financial year, with organic revenue growth of around 5.5%. "This reflects strong growth both in foodservice and in our fast growing support services business and we are en
Read moreBroker tips: BP, Vodafone, Compass
2nd Feb 2011 13:44
While BP still remains in transition mode in 2011, Credit Suisse says the shares continue to offer good valuation upside despite the uncertainty surrounding its Macondo well liabilities. The oil giant gave its first strategy update since the oil spill in April, in which it unveiled a "solid strateg
Read moreBroker snap: Renewed quest for growth for Compass
2nd Feb 2011 13:13
Even though Compass has underperformed the FTSE 100 in the past six months, Panmure Gordon predicts ongoing upside potential for the contract caterer. The broker notes that over the 2006-10 period, shares appreciated 150% (versus a 5% increase in the FTSE 100) after the group exited loss-making con
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Another discovery for BG
26th Jan 2011 12:47
BG Group has been boosted by yet another discovery in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil. The latest strike is at Carioca North-East, located in a water depth of 2,151m, approximately 275km off the coast of São Paulo state. BG has a 30% stake. Mining companies are rising again today. Anglo American
Read moreBroker tips: Compass, Wolseley, Daisy
7th Dec 2010 13:09
Nomura foresees further medium-term growth from Compass Group as the contract caterer is set to benefit from its 2010 acquisitions. Nomura's forecast for 2011 earnings before interest and tax has been increased by 1-2% as Nomura incorporates the annualised contribution, equating to £10m, from Compa
Read moreBroker snap: Compass to see growth in the medium-term
7th Dec 2010 11:05
Nomura foresees further medium-term growth from Compass Group as the contract caterer is set to benefit from its 2010 acquisitions. Nomura's forecast for 2011 earnings before interest and tax has been increased by 1-2% as Nomura incorporates the annualised contribution, equating to £10m, from Compa
Read more