Friday tips round-up: Associated British Foods, Income stocks
17th Jan 2015 00:50
Discount clothing brand Primark has been the main engine behind the rise in shares of Associated British Foods. However, as the unit's rapid rate of growth in both profits and revenues has slowed down so too the company's stock has fast become overvalued. Over the last five years the shares have ris
Read moreLondon close: Retailers provide a lift as inflation data boosts economic hopes
13th Jan 2015 16:48
UK stocks put in decent gains on Tuesday as a sharper-than-expected slowdown in inflation boosted hopes for consumer spending and pushed back projections for the first rate raise. A strong start to corporate earnings season in the States and increased hopes for further stimulus by the European Centr
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Greggs on the rise, Debenhams falls after positive Christmas sales
13th Jan 2015 15:01
Debenhams was falling despite record Christmas sales. Although the company saw a 4.9% rise in underlying sales in the last four weeks of 2014, it recorded a 0.8% drop over the last three months. Greggs was rising after revealing an 8.2% boost in December like-for-like sales. The company announced th
Read moreSector movers: Morrisons, Greggs and ASOS lead retailers higher
13th Jan 2015 14:56
The exit of frontman Dalton Philips at Wm Morrison and signs of improving sales trends at the UK grocer were welcomed by the market on Tuesday, with food retailers topping the risers list in London. Well-received trading updates from the likes of Greggs also provided a boost to the food sector, whil
Read moreBroker tips: Wm Morrison, Smith & Nephew, Debenhams
13th Jan 2015 12:17
Markets may have reacted positively after Wm Morrison's agreed to part company with chief executive Dalton Philips alongside a small improvement in sales trends, but Shore Capital remains unconvinced. The broker kept a 'hold' rating on the stock, saying: "The improving trend revealed for the Christm
Read moreLondon midday: Retailers rise, housebuilders boosted as UK inflation rate drops
13th Jan 2015 12:08
A sharp drop in the UK inflation rate and well-received updates from a number of Britain's retailers gave London stocks a boost on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 was trading up 0.6% at 6,539 just after midday with retailers and housebuilders offsetting ongoing weakness in the resources sector. Markets were
Read moreInvestec downgrades Debenhams to 'sell' after Christmas miss
13th Jan 2015 09:29
Shares in Debenhams tanked on Tuesday after the department-store chain disappointed with its festive trading update, with Investec adding to the downward pressure by cutting its rating from 'hold' to 'sell'. The high-street retailer scaled back its forecast for margin improvement due to strong sales
Read moreLondon open: Retailers boost market ahead of inflation data, Morrison jumps
13th Jan 2015 08:57
Well-received updates from a host of retailers were giving UK stock markets a boost on Tuesday morning, as investors awaited some key inflation data. The FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 6,514 early on with Wm Morrison leading the rise. Data due out at 09:30 is forecast to show that the annual rate of consu
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to fall ahead of UK inflation data
13th Jan 2015 07:56
UK stocks are expected to decline on Tuesday morning as investors await key consumer-price data, which is predicted to show that inflation eased further in December. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 23 points lower than Monday's close of 6,501.42. Data due out at 09:30 is forecast to sho
Read moreDebenhams drops despite record Christmas as margins disappoint
13th Jan 2015 07:40
Despite a record Christmas, high street department store Debenhams has scaled back its forecast for margin improvement due to strong sales of lower-margin products over the festive period and a poor clothing performance. The stock dropped sharply in early trading on Monday as the retailer revealed t
Read moreBarclays sees higher profit potential at Debenhams
5th Dec 2014 11:27
Broker Barclays has upgraded Debenhams, saying the UK department store group's profits in 2014/15 could start bouncing back to levels last seen in 2013. Barclays moved Debenhams to 'overweight' from 'equal weight' and raised its price target to 90p, highlighting three reasons why it believed the sha
Read moreFriday broker round-up
5th Dec 2014 09:48
Amino Technologies: N`+1 Singer ups target price from 107p to 141p and keeps a 'buy' recommendation. Barr (AG): Numis upgrades from 'hold' to 'add' with a target price of 659p. Jefferies reduces target price from 678p to 510p and downgrades to 'sell'. Betfair: JP Morgan increases target price from
Read moreBroker tips: Sage, Glencore, Debenhams
4th Dec 2014 12:14
Sage's shares were extending gains on Thursday after the accountancy software group impressed the market with its annual results, with the stock given a boost by target price upgrades at both Citigroup and Credit Suisse. Citi raised its target for the shares from 450p to 475p and kept a 'buy' rating
Read moreLondon midday: UK stocks rangebound ahead of ECB policy decision
4th Dec 2014 11:40
UK stocks were trading within a narrow range on Thursday as investors refrained from taking on too much risk ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) policy meeting, which has the potential to spark volatility across financial markets worldwide. The FTSE 100 was trading just 0.03% higher at 6,719 by
Read moreN+1 Singer downgrades Debenhams after recent strong run
4th Dec 2014 09:37
The share price of Debenhams dropped on Thursday after the stock went ex-dividend, though comments from N+1 Singer were likely adding to the selling pressure as the broker downgraded its rating on the retailer from 'buy' to 'hold'. After being oversold at the end of the summer, N+1 Singer upgraded t
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