Dignity profits up as dead rise
31st Jul 2012 08:46
Funeral services provider Dignity said an increase in the number of deaths in the UK had helped boost profits in the first half. Pre-tax profits in the six months to 29 June were up 11% to 27.2m and the firm increased its dividend 10% to 5.36p. Earnings per share were up 14.5% to 38.7p as the comp
Read moreThursday broker round-up
21st Jun 2012 09:13
ARM Holdings: Investec maintains buy rating and 800p target. Ashtead: Jefferies ups target from 300p to 320p, buy rating retained. Bellway: Goldman Sachs downgrades to neutral. British Land: Societe Generale downgrades to sell. CRH: HSBC upgrades to overweight. Dignity: Goldman Sachs downgrades
Read moreMonday broker round-up - UPDATE
14th May 2012 07:48
Antofagasta: AlphaValue downgrades from add to sell, target cut from 1,201.3p to 915p. Avanti Communications: Jefferies reiterates buy rating and 600p target. Chariot Oil & Gas: Jefferies keeps buy rating and 355p target; Merchant Securities keeps buy recommendation and 232.1p target. Dignity: In
Read moreDignity trading slightly ahead of market expectations
14th May 2012 07:15
Funeral services provider Dignity reported a modest rise in revenue and underlying operating profit in a relatively quiet start to the year. Underlying operating profit for the thirteen weeks to 30 March rose to £23.4m from £22.6m the year before. Revenue increased to £61.1m from £59.1m before. Ho
Read moreWeek Ahead: Lonmin, Dignity, Invensys
11th May 2012 08:04
Monday is unusually busy next week with miner Lonmin, undertaker Dignity and outsourcing specialist Serco among the big names reporting. Credit Suisse says interim results from Lonmin may be be an opportunity for the company to moderate growth plans in order to preserve the balance sheet. "Last y
Read moreWednesday broker round-up - UPDATE
11th Apr 2012 09:36
Barclays: Investec upgrades from hold to buy. Centamin Egypt: Nomura cuts target from 120p to 100p, neutral rating retained. Dignity: Peel Hunt reiterates hold rating and 800p target. Dunelm Group: Investec lifts target from 450p to 500p, hold rating kept; Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 600
Read moreDignity reports modest rise in revenue and profit
7th Mar 2012 07:47
Funeral services provider Dignity achieved a modest rise in both revenue and underlying profit before tax during the year ended December 30th 2011. Revenues rose 5.5% from £199.1m to £210.1m, while underlying operating profit rose to £64.5m (2010: £61.0m) and underlying pre-tax profit gained 3% to
Read moreDignity profit rises as expansion gathers pace
14th Nov 2011 07:43
Funeral services provider Dignity reported an increase in underlying profit for the nine months ended 30 September as it acquired new funeral locations. Underlying operating profit rose to £48.4 for the 39 weeks to September from £45m the year before. Revenue for the period rose 7.3% to £155.8m.
Read moreFTSE 250 Movers: Precious metals stocks shine
3rd Aug 2011 15:11
Precious metals stocks are in demand as investors look for a haven amid the current worries over the debt situation in the US and several Eurozone countries. South American gold and silver miner Hochschild, Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk and the self-explanatorily-named African Barrick Gold are a
Read moreLondon close: Stocks slump after giving up rally
27th Jul 2011 16:49
Stocks finished deep in the red, giving up an earlier rally, after a poor showing on Wall Street. Energy supplier Scottish & Southern Energy suffered after going ex-dividend. Meanwhile, sector peer Centrica also fell, albeit by a lesser extent, after utilities firm British Gas (owned by Centrica)
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks still stuck lower
27th Jul 2011 12:03
The top share index nestles slightly in negative territory, perhaps waiting for US trading to start before striking into the blue. Energy supplier Scottish & Southern Energy is suffering after going ex-dividend. Meanwhile, sector peer Centrica also fell, albeit by a lesser extent, after utilities
Read moreLondon open: SSE leads the fallers in early trading
27th Jul 2011 08:31
The top share index saw a sharp decline in early trading, as the debt crisis in the US continues to weigh on market sentiment. Energy supplier Scottish & Southern Energy was the heavy faller, tumbling 4.85% after going ex dividend. Meanwhile, sector peer Centrica also fell lower, albeit by a les
Read moreDignity's revenues rise 6.7% in first half
27th Jul 2011 08:04
Dignity, the provider of funeral-related services, said that revenue grew 6.7% in the six months ended 1 July, a slowdown from the 9.6% growth rate reported in the first quarter, as expected. Revenue rose from £100.9m in the first half of 2010 to £107.7m, while pre-tax profit edged 0.8% higher to £
Read moreLondon close: Flat finish after late fightback
16th May 2011 16:33
Shares staged a fightback ahead of the close, ending the day flat. Company updates gave traders plenty to ponder, but it was electrical retailers Dixons and Kesa that were the centre of attention. Rumours that Kesa may sell its UK operation Comet, which has been struggling lately, have been doing t
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Dixons, Kesa surge on Comet rumours
16th May 2011 15:59
Electrical products retailers Dixons Retail and Kesa Electricals have jumped higher after press speculations that the latter is contemplating where to offload its Comet chain. London Stock Exchange is wanted after saying it remains committed to its proposed merger with its Canadian counterpart TMX
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