London close: Stocks end lower on lacklustre UK GDP
28th Jan 2016 16:07
(ShareCast News) - London stocks ended lower on Thursday after uninspiring UK fourth quarter economic growth data. The Office for National Statistics said UK gross domestic product rose 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in the final three months of 2015, up from 0.4% in the third quarter, as expected by analy
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Oil stocks surge as crude prices rise
28th Jan 2016 14:43
(ShareCast News) - The FTSE 250 was back in the red by mid-afternoon on Thursday, down 12.76 points (0.08%) to 16,268.22. Melrose Industries was the biggest faller after it returned around £2.4bn in cash back to shareholders. The company gave 240p for each share held after the £3.3bn disposal of its
Read moreFirstGroup cuts profit outlook due to "challenging" environment
28th Jan 2016 07:57
(ShareCast News) - Shares in transport operator FirstGroup slid on Thursday after it lowered its operating profit guidance for the current financial year amid a challenging trading environment. In the three months to 26 December, revenue dropped 9.5% at constant currency. The company said this refle
Read moreCMA backs travel cards for further government exemption
10th Dec 2015 11:15
(ShareCast News) - UK competition regulators have recommended extending the exemption of multi-operator travelcard ticketing schemes from competition law. Although the Competition and Markets Authority was concerned that agreements between transport operators can sometimes raise competition concerns
Read moreFirstGroup to turn Pennine route into profit-maker
9th Dec 2015 07:49
(ShareCast News) - Rail passengers in the Pennines were promised a better service on Wednesday morning, with the announcement that FirstGroup would continue to operate the franchise until at least 2023. The Trans Pennine franchise has been jointly held by FirstGroup and Keolis since 2004, but the ne
Read moreFirstgroup profit drops on the back of rail franchise losses
12th Nov 2015 07:47
(ShareCast News) - Bus and train operator Firstgroup posted a 33% drop in first-half pre-tax profit as revenue fell due to the loss of certain rail franchises and a later than normal start to this school year for US students. For the six months to the end of September, adjusted pre-tax profit came i
Read moreThursday broker round-up
8th Oct 2015 17:33
(ShareCast News) - Tullow Oil: JP Morgan Cazenove upgrades to overweight, cuts target price to 310.00p. Soco International: UBS downgrades to sell, keeps target price at 150.00p. Synthomer: Berenberg Bank starts new coverage with a buy, sets target price at 400.00p. Weir Group: Investec Securities
Read moreFirstgroup rallies on UBS upgrade
8th Oct 2015 15:13
(ShareCast News) - Shares in UK transport operator Firstgroup rallied after UBS raised its stance on the stock to 'neutral' from 'sell' following recent underperformance versus the market. The Swiss bank noted that in the three months since July, Firstgroup has underperformed the FTSE 250 index by 1
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Dunelm rallies on strong sales; Hays tumbles on cautious outlook
8th Oct 2015 13:50
(ShareCast News) - London's FTSE 250 index was down 0.3% to 16,978.38 at 1430 BST, as investors digested news that the Bank of England has decided to stand pat on interest rates and the size of its asset purchase programme, as widely expected. Dunelm was on the front foot after the homeware retailer
Read moreBroker tips: FirstGroup, Vodafone, Standard Chartered
2nd Oct 2015 17:08
(ShareCast News) - Investec has retained its 'buy' rating and target price of 125p on FirstGroup after the transport operator said overall trading is in line with management's expectations. In a trading update for the six months to the end of September, FirstGroup said its transformation plans conti
Read moreLondon close: Stocks gain as disappointing non-farm payrolls push back rate hike forecasts
2nd Oct 2015 16:10
(ShareCast News) - UK stocks ended higher on Friday after a disappointing US non-farm payrolls report pushed back expectations for an interest rate hike. Non-farm payrolls rose 142,000 in September, falling well short of analysts' estimates for a 201,000 increase, the Labor Department revealed. Augu
Read moreFirstgroup trading in line; UK Rail stands out
2nd Oct 2015 07:13
(ShareCast News) - Transport operator Firstgroup said overall trading is in line with management's expectations and its mult-year transformation plans continue to progress, despite a more challenging trading environment in some of the group's markets. In a trading update for the six months to the en
Read moreWednesday share tips: First Group, Dairy Crest
15th Jul 2015 19:22
(ShareCast News) - First Group lost two rail franchises last year and failed to replace them, setting the company up for a tough year. UK Rail was the biggest contributor to the company's top line but it is now expected to be approximately £900m lower as a result. Compounding matters, less expensive
Read moreFirstGroup first-quarter trading in line with management expectations
14th Jul 2015 08:41
(ShareCast News) - Transport operator FirstGroup said on Tuesday that it traded in line with its expectations in the first quarter, with strong growth in the UK rail division. The company said UK Rail like-for-like passenger revenue grew 6.3%, underpinned by robust volume growth. However, it said th
Read moreTuesday preview: First Group, Carillion, Michael Page
13th Jul 2015 18:27
(ShareCast News) - On the company front, London is scheduled to be fairly quiet. FirstGroup, which is convening for its annual shareholder meeting, and Carillion are both due to make quarterly statements. Firstgroup has an opportunity to update the market after an uneasy fortnight when it lost out o
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