FTSE 250 movers: Miners slump on Barclays downgrade; DCC shines after interims
10th Nov 2015 14:52
(ShareCast News) - London's FTSE 250 index was down 0.5% to 17,027.36 at 1500 GMT as weakness in the mining sector proved a drag. Kaz Minerals and Vedanta Resources were under the cosh after Barclays downgraded its stance on the stocks and the broader European mining sector. The bank cut Kaz to 'und
Read moreTuesday newspaper share tips: Advice for long-term investors in Dignity
10th Nov 2015 11:05
(ShareCast News) - They say there are two things you can't avoid - death and taxes. One of those things is keeping Dignity shares an asset worth hanging on to according to The Telegraph's Questor. The funeral provider said in a trading statement on Monday it expects to outperform full-year earnings
Read moreDignity set to beat full year expectations
9th Nov 2015 07:52
(ShareCast News) - Listed funeral provider Dignity said it expects to outperform full year earnings expectations "given the continued high number of deaths relative to 2014". In a trading statement, Dignity said revenue for the 39 weeks to 25 September was £227m, up from £196.4m. The number of death
Read moreDignity first-half profit boosted by rise in bereavements
29th Jul 2015 11:03
(ShareCast News) - Funeral services provider Dignity posted a 44% jump in underlying first-half pre-tax profit on higher demand for its offerings, following a 13% increase in the number of deaths for the 26-week period ended 26 June. Pre-tax profit came in at £46.5m from £32.3m in the same period la
Read moreDignity acquires 36 funerals locations in £38m deal
13th Jul 2015 11:20
(ShareCast News) - Funeral services provider Dignity has completed the acquisition of more than 30 funeral locations from Laurel Funerals. The £38m deal, which will see the FTSE 250 group acquire 36 of the 83 locations operated by Laurel Funerals, had originally been announced on 16 June and it has
Read moreFriday broker round-up
10th Jul 2015 14:03
(ShareCast News) - Anglo American: Citi upgrades to neutral. Ashmore: Jefferies reiterates buy but shaves target price to 373.5p, Cannacord reiterates hold. Aviva: Barclays reiterates neutral stance and nudges target to 637p from 632p, Berenberg keeps at sell. BaE Systems: Berenberg upgrades to bu
Read moreDignity to buy 36 funeral locations from Laurel
16th Jun 2015 07:32
Funeral provider Dignity said on Tuesday that it has signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement to acquire 36 of the 83 locations currently operated by Laurel Funerals for a total consideration of £38m. The acquisition is being funded from cash resources already held by the group and is expect
Read moreLondon pre-open: Pause expected on Greek concerns, China cuts rates
11th May 2015 07:35
UK stocks were expected to pull back slightly on Monday morning following a surge the previous session as markets reacted to the election victory by the business-friendly Conservative party. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open 15 points lower than Friday's close of 7,046.82. The index jumpe
Read moreDignity expects mortality rate to be flat in 2015
11th May 2015 07:13
Dignity saw sales rise by 23.7% in 13 weeks ending on the 27 march to reach £85.5m. That drove a 38.8% increase in underlying profits to reach £35.8m. As had been anticipated by the company, the number of deaths in the first quarter was very high, registering a 19% incerase to 175,000. However, the
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Dignity, Legal & General
5th Mar 2015 12:47
There are few things in life as certain as death, which gives funeral parlour operator Dignity exceptional visibility. So while the number of funerals dropped by 3.5% last year, the company is now set to benefit from the 23% rise in deaths registered over the first eight weeks of this year. In 2014
Read moreDignity resurrected after second-half funerals show signs of life
4th Mar 2015 09:13
A second half recovery in volumes helped Dignity lay 2014 to rest in style, with results from the funeral services group topping analysts forecasts despite the pall cast by a 3.5% annual decline in funeral numbers. Results surprised City analysts, largely reflecting the earlier timing of the company
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
12th Nov 2014 09:07
Aberdeen: UBS lowers target price from 465p to 450p and downgrades from buy to neutral. ASOS: Societe Generale reduces target price from 5000p to 4450p, while leaving its buy recommendation unchanged. BG Group: Deutsche Bank reduces target price from 1400p to 1300p and keeps a buy recommendation.
Read moreMonday broker round-up
10th Nov 2014 15:34
RBS: Nomura reiterates reduce but lifts target price to 370p from 360p. IAG: Liberum reiterates buy, maintaining 550p target. Royal Dutch Shell: JP Morgan reiterates overweight stance but cuts target to 2,500p from 2,700p. Aveva: Westhouse Securities reiterates add and its target price of 1,780p.
Read moreDignity reports rise in underlying operating profit
10th Nov 2014 11:41
Funeral services provider Dignity saw revenue climb 3% in the 39 weeks to 26 September, helping to drive a 6.3% increase in underlying operating profit. The number of funerals performed, together with robust average incomes and good cost control, helped lift revenue to £196.4m and operating profit t
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Smiths Group, Dignity
18th Sep 2014 06:56
Shares of Smiths Group took a hit after the company announced that strength in sterling had knocked 8% off its operating profits for the year ended in July and that one of its five business units was below expectations – the detection division. That segment had already provoked a profit warnin
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