Broker snap: Strong first quarter for Dignity
16th May 2011 11:23
First quarter growth at Dignity, the UK's only listed funeral care provider, was stronger than expected, according to UBS, but the broker maintains its 'neutral' rating and keeps its outlook unchanged. January volumes were strong as higher-than-average deaths late in December resulted in a "raised
Read moreLondon close: Stocks give up gains
13th May 2011 17:01
Stocks ran out of puff following the US open and closed in the red giving up the gains they had posted on the back of buoyancy on Wall Street overnight. Oil services group Petrofac said it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profit growth in line with previous guidance after a strong p
Read moreLondon midday: Thumbs up for company updates
13th May 2011 12:04
Stocks have reacted well to company updates and the FTSE 100 is in touching distance of the 6,000 point mark again. Oil services group Petrofac leads the FTSE 100 higher after saying it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profit growth in line with previous guidance after a strong perf
Read moreLondon open: Rally continues as updates impress
13th May 2011 08:32
Stocks have continued a rally that began ahead of the close yesterday, helped by a good performance on Wall Street last night and some well received company news. In company news, oil services group Petrofac says it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profit growth in line with previou
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to follow Wall St. higher
13th May 2011 07:45
Wall Street's rebound yesterday on the back of a rally in commodity prices looks set to give London an early boost, with City traders predicting the blue-chip index will open around 28 points higher at 5,973. Oil services group Petrofac says it is "increasingly confident" that it will deliver profi
Read moreOperating profit up 10.9% at Dignity
13th May 2011 07:03
Full year expectations remain unchanged at Dignity, the UK's only listed funeral care provider, after the group saw underlying operating profit increase by more than 10% in the first quarter. In the 13 weeks to 1 April, underlying operating profit, which excludes profit on sale of fixed assets and
Read moreFriday preview: Petrofac, Dignity
12th May 2011 17:54
Oilfield services provider Petrofac's shares suffered in the early part of the year as a wave of civil protests swept across many of the oil rich parts of the world, but the share price has perked up a bit of late, helped by the award of a contract worth more than $240m (£149m) with Shell to develop
Read moreUnited Utilities boss raises £588,000 from share sale
28th Mar 2011 16:48
United Utilities chief executive Philip Green has raised £588,000 by selling 100,000 shares. Green still has 116,384 shares. The shares that were sold for 588p each were owned by Green and his wife Judy, who no longer holds any shares. In February, Green received 136,607 shares from the company'
Read moreBroker tips: Burberry, AMEC, Dignity
15th Mar 2011 13:13
RBS maintains its positive stance on luxury fashion group Burberry, despite shares taking a hit over the last few days on concerns of its exposure in Japan. While Japanese consumers have accounted for as much as 40-50% of domestic- and international-related luxury goods demand over the past decade,
Read moreBroker snap: Forecasts upped at Dignity
15th Mar 2011 13:02
While UBS keeps its 'neutral' rating on funeral home operator Dignity, it upgrades its forecasts as pre-arranged funerals should lead growth in the near future. The full year 2010 results were slightly better than expected, with a 2% beat in operating profit as a result of better-than-expected prof
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Standard Life, Cineworld, Clarkson...
11th Mar 2011 06:56
Standard Life suffered a rough session as its shares fell more than 7% after it issued full-year results. Stripping out various one-offs, yesterday's figures came in roughly in line with expectations, with operating profit rising to £425m from £399m a year earlier. Sales of long-term savings were h
Read moreLondon close: Footsie in full retreat
10th Mar 2011 16:57
Blue chips took a beating as investors focused on weak economic data from China and a downgrade for Spanish debt, rather than the Bank of England decision to keep its key lending rate at 0.5%. China posted a trade deficit of $7.3bn in February compared with the usual surplus, due mainly to the shut
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Laird plummets
10th Mar 2011 15:42
Electrical components group Laird underwhelmed investors after reporting a surge in full year underlying pre-tax profit and saying it is well placed to make further good progress during 2011. Shares were 9% lower. Argos and Homebase owner Home Retail Group lowered full year profits guidance as trad
Read moreLondon afternoon: Drugs firms provide some cheer
10th Mar 2011 14:47
Investors are finding plenty of reasons to be fearful but at least the Bank of England has stuck to the script and held its key lending rate at 0.5%. Otherwise, weak economic data from China and a downgrade for Spanish debt has put the situation in Libya into the shade today. China posted a trad
Read moreLondon midday: Shares stuck lower after Spanish downgrade
10th Mar 2011 12:19
The Bank of England's decision to keep rates at 0.5% was fully-expected and shares remain at stuck firmly in the red. Weak economic data from China and a downgrade for Spanish debt has put the situation in Libya into the shade today. China posted a trade deficit of $7.3bn in February compared wit
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