London open: Stocks flat ahead of US data, Admiral jumps
3rd Feb 2012 08:31
London's blue chip stocks were broadly flat in early trading on Friday, with investors cautious ahead of some key non-farm payroll data due out in the US later today. In domestic news, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predicts that the UK may fall back into recession t
Read moreElectrocomponents sees strong international growth
3rd Feb 2012 07:57
Electronic products distributor Electrocomponents has seen revenues grow 4% in the four months to January 31st, with strong growth internationally offsetting a more subdued performance in the UK. Revenue from International businesses grew by 5% collectively, with Continental Europe increasing by 5%
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Big Yellow, Electrocomponents, Telecom Plus
23rd Nov 2011 06:11
The Times' Tempus column highlights Big Yellow's plans to halt further capital spending to improve debt. "If the capital spending tap is turned off, clearly there is potential for cash-flow...to rise considerably from the near-£30m each year at present," Martin Waller writes. Furthermore, while the
Read moreBroker tips: Premier Foods, Electrocomponents, Dairy Crest
14th Nov 2011 13:28
UBS has downgraded struggling food manufacturer Premier Foods from neutral to sell, saying it's "difficult to see a way back from here". "Acknowledging the banks' understandable reluctance to take outright control of Premier via a debt/equity swap, it is our belief that they are now in a position t
Read moreBroker snap: Electrocomponents is cheap, says Singer
14th Nov 2011 12:01
Singer Capital Markets has reiterated its fair value rating and 284p target for Electrocomponents but has highlighted some positives at the electronic components distributor, such as its cheap valuation. While the company saw revenues growth slow from 14% in the first quarter to 8% in the second, t
Read moreDigital Look broker talk - UPDATE
14th Nov 2011 10:39
Premier Foods: "The banks overriding priority must be to get their money back as quickly as possible and whilst this requires Premier to make profits/ generate cash, we are concerned that the interests of equity shareholders are now subordinate" [UBS]. Electrocomponents: "With the rating at the low
Read moreOverseas sales drive Electrocomponents' growth
14th Nov 2011 09:01
All international markets delivered double-digit percentage growth in the first half of the financial year of electronic components distributor Electrocomponents, putting the performance of the UK market in the shade. The company saw a 17.5% rise in pre-tax profits for the half year period to 30 S
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Electrocomponents, European Goldfields, Avanti...
4th Oct 2011 06:38
It's nearly two years since the Electrocomponents share price has been this low, says the Investment Column in the Independent. The aptly named distributor of electrical components has been under the cosh because of worries about the world economy. Taken as a whole, the first half numbers look fine
Read moreUPDATE: Monday broker round-up
3rd Oct 2011 09:03
Antofagasta: Citi upgrades to hold, target cut from 1,230p to 1,010p. Man Group: Citi has kept its hold/high risk rating and 190p target. Lonmin: Citi maintains hold/medium risk recommendation and 1,237p target. Burberry: Nomura reiterates neutral rating and 1,356p target. Cookson: UBS upgrades
Read moreLondon open: Footsie drops below 5,000
3rd Oct 2011 08:29
The Footsie plummeted in early trading on Monday, dropping below the 5,000 level, as euro worries continue to dampen sentiment. Despite Greece's tough austerity measures, the debt-stricken country revealed on Sunday that it will miss its deficit target for 2011, as it unveiled plans for job cuts ac
Read moreElectrocomponents growing, but not so fast
3rd Oct 2011 07:26
Electronics and maintenance products Electrocomponents is still seeing year-on-year growth in revenue, though the rate at which sales are growing is slowing rapidly. In the six months to the end of September group revenue grew by 11% from a year earlier, with second quarter growth of 8%. In Septemb
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie set to slide below 5,000
3rd Oct 2011 07:23
The UK's blue-chip index is set to dive below the 5,000 level with City traders anticipating a fall of around 140 points from Friday's close of 5,128, at the start of a week in which many pundits believe the Bank of England will revive its quantitative easing programme, such is the torpid state of t
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Reckitt Benckiser, Electrocomponents, Persimmon
26th Jul 2011 06:28
Analysts had two concerns over the halfway figures from Reckitt Benckiser ? the tough market for personal care products in Europe and the slow adoption of its film version of the heroin substitute Suboxone. European sales were down 1% on a like-for-like basis in the first half and down 2% in the sec
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Electrocomponents, United Carpets, Phytopharm
19th Jul 2011 06:33
Shares in Electrocomponents are currently 22% below their peak in May and 9% below the price when its smaller rival Premier Farnell came out with a shock profit warning a week into July. This suggests either that both companies, distributors of a huge range of electronics products, are running into
Read moreWhitbread's Harrison takes a top-up
18th Jul 2011 15:37
Whitbread's chief executive Andy Harrison has taken a top-up in the Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner's shares, spending nearly £250,000. He took 16,095 shares at 1,543.6p a time and now has 177,768. Harrison's purchase comes the week after Whitbread reported a 9% rise in sales for the first quar
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