Thursday broker round-up - UPDATE
1st Mar 2012 09:33
RBS: Berenberg downgrades to sell from buy. Randgold Resources: Nomura maintains buy rating and 9,850p target. BG Group: Nomura maintains buy rating and 1,865p target. WPP: Nomura maintains buy rating and 990p target. BAE Systems: UBS ups target from 320p to 360p, buy rating unchanged. Capita:
Read moreNew Experian CFO is familiar face
1st Mar 2012 07:39
Credit checking firm Experian has a new top number cruncher who has a bit of experience working with the company when it was part of Great Universal Stores (GUS). Irishman Brian Cassin is set to join Experian as Chief Financial Officer from Greenhill & Co. International, where he is a partner and M
Read moreGalliford Try Finance Director sells half his stake
24th Feb 2012 15:30
Galliford Try's Finance Director has made the most of recent gains on the stock's share price, selling more than half his stake in the firm. Frank Nelson disposed of 85,000 shares in the housbuilding and construction firm for 547.70p each, earning himself a total of £465,545 and leaving him with 7
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Experian, DS Smith
18th Jan 2012 06:54
Financial data company Experian has made big money in Brazil since its purchase of Serasa, which has tripled in size since the acquisition in 2007. Total sales in Latin America jumped 27% in the third quarter. In the other divisions, however, growth is much more mundane and despite the recent purch
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks drift higher after Chinese, German data
17th Jan 2012 11:43
Stocks were off their intraday highs by lunchtime but the Footsie was still some 26 points up from yesterday's close, helped by some cheery Chinese GDP data and a better-than-expected German confidence survey. Fourth quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data from China was easing fears of a hard la
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
17th Jan 2012 09:15
IMI: Exane BNP upgrades to outperform from neutral. Smiths Group: Exane BNP upgrades to outperform from neutral. RBS: Shore Capital upgrades to hold from sell. Oriel reiterates buy. RSA Insurance: UBS labels short-term buy. Resolution: UBS upgrades to buy from neutral. Burberry: Nomura main
Read moreLondon open: Chinese GDP sparks rise, Footsie above 5,700
17th Jan 2012 08:26
The Footsie surged above the 5,700 level in early trading on Tuesday after the Chinese economy expanded at a faster-than-expected rate in the fourth quarter. It seems that investors have shrugged off last night's downgrade of the Eurozone's bailout fund, as just four stocks slipped into the red. Pr
Read moreLondon pre-open: Chinese GDP data to boost buying early on
17th Jan 2012 07:25
Investors are expected to shrug off the downgrade of the EFSF on Tuesday after Chinese GDP data came in better than expected. City sources see the FTSE 100 opening up 50 points from yesterday's close of 5,657. Last night, Standard & Poor's cut the 'AAA' long-term credit rating of the European Finan
Read moreLatin America dances to quicker beat for Experian
17th Jan 2012 07:02
Credit checking firm Experian experienced underlying revenue growth in all geographic sectors in the final quarter of 2011, with Latin America growing especially rapidly. In the three months to 31 December 2011 - the third quarter of the group's financial year - total revenue from continuing activi
Read moreLondon open: Footsie up early on, pharmas fall
9th Jan 2012 08:18
London's FTSE 100 opened slightly higher on Monday morning helped by banking titans Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC. Oil stocks Essar Energy, Tullow Oil and Royal Dutch Shell were tracking oil prices higher. Today's big event will be the meeting of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Preside
Read moreLondon pre-open: Slightly lower start for FTSE
9th Jan 2012 07:13
London is set to open little changed, with optimism held in check by a statement from James Bullard, President of the Federal Reserve bank of St. Louis, which appears to put the kibosh on a new round of bond purchases by the US Federal Reserve in the immediate future. City sources predict the FTSE
Read moreExperian announces death of CFO
9th Jan 2012 07:08
Experian's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Paul Brooks has passed away, the credit-checking and information services firm revealed on Monday. According to Experian's statement, Brooks, who joined the group as Finance Director of its former International division back in 1999, died suddenly over the w
Read moreBroker tips: IG Group, Mothercare, Business service stocks
29th Nov 2011 12:58
Prime Markets recommends buying shares in IG Group, saying that the European sovereign debt crisis creates "ideal conditions" for the spread-betting firm. The group said this morning that it has continued to see high levels of client activity during its second quarter and first half revenues will b
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse assesses impact of euro recession on business services
29th Nov 2011 10:22
Credit Suisse has reassessed its ratings and forecasts across the business services sector to reflect a more challenging environment in which it envisages Europe falling back into a recession in the fourth quarter. The broker said: "Our base case FY12-13 EPS estimates fall by an average of 4-5% to
Read moreExperian dials up 192business
28th Nov 2011 09:29
Information services provider Experian is to buy UK identity verification specialist 192business. 192business's services include personal data verification, fraud screening, online document verification and voice verification. It services a wide range of global clients, covering segments such as e-
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