3i Group Investments Up 38% In 1Q, Sales Fall 52%

7th Jul 2010 07:34

By Marietta Cauchi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--3i Group PLC (III.LN) Wednesday said it had invested GBP105 million in its fiscal first quarter, a rise of 38% compared with the same period last year, and that the company continued to perform well despite uncertain markets.

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3i sees stabilisation

7th Jul 2010 07:12

Private equity leviathan 3i said its investments are stabilising or improving while the pipeline of investment opportunities looks promising. Investment in the second quarter of 2010 totalled £105m, compared to £79m in the second quarter of 2009. Of the £105m invested, £70m was pumped into the exis

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Wednesday preview: Marks & Spencer, Aveva, 3i, Carillion

6th Jul 2010 17:15

High Street bellwether stock Marks and Spencer (M&S) will issue a first quarter interim management statement on Wednesday. If things work out well for management, the trends will be good enough to take shareholders' minds off director remuneration, which is likely to be a hot topic at the company's

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Financial News: 3i Shelves Asian Buyout Team

24th Jun 2010 15:22

By Toby Lewis Of FINANCIAL NEWS U.K.-based 3i Group (III.LN) has shelved its local buyout team in Asia, it has emerged, joining a number of other Western private equity firms that have refocused their divisions in the region over the past 18 months. The head of the firm's Asian buyout te

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FOCUS: Buyout Firms Swoop On Health Sector, Challenges Remain

24th Jun 2010 13:34

By Marietta Cauchi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--Private equity firms are piling into auctions for health-care companies, betting that their defensive qualities and steady cash flows will bring in the returns being demanded by investors after two lackluster years. Over the p

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Clinic Operator Medi-Partenaires Valued At EUR1B-EUR1.1B-Report

23rd Jun 2010 08:11

PARIS (Dow Jones)--Clinic operator Medi-Partenaires SA, which is being sold by French private equity firm LBO France, will be valued at between EUR1 billion and EUR1.1 billion, La Tribune newspaper reports Wednesday, without naming sources. Preliminary offers for the company will be filed this w

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INTERVIEW: 3i's Sale Of Inspectorate "Always Part Of Plan"

22nd Jun 2010 12:33

By Marietta Cauchi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--3i Group PLC's (III.LN) sale of Inspectorate, the oil testing and certification business owned by 3i's portfolio company Inspicio Group was always part of the plan, 3i partner Alan Giddins told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday. Ea

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INTERVIEW: Bureau Veritas: 3-5 Yrs To Up Inspectorate Margin

22nd Jun 2010 10:15

By Ambroise Ecorcheville Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES PARIS (Dow Jones)--Certification services company Bureau Veritas (BVI.FR) said Tuesday it has bought U.K. peer Inspectorate for GBP540 million, and plans to improve its operating margin in three-to-five years, bringing it to the parent company

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Bureau Veritas Acquires UK's Inspectorate for GBP450 Million

22nd Jun 2010 06:46

PARIS (Dow Jones)--French conformity assessment and certification services company Bureau Veritas (BVI.FR) said Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with U.K. company Inspicio, majority-owned by private equity firm 3i (III.LN) and funds managed by 3i, to acquire Inspicio's unit Inspectorate for G

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Tuesday tips round-up: Weir, Mothercare, United Utilities

15th Jun 2010 06:53

Engineering group Weir issued a surprise update yesterday, revealing that trading over the nine weeks to the 4 June had been stronger than expected. Particularly encouraging was the disclosure that original equipment orders had begun to increase. In terms of enterprise value to earnings before inte

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3i buys back more bonds

14th Jun 2010 07:35

Private equity group 3i has bought another chunk of bonds for cancellation. The company has bought £28.55m of its 3.625% convertible bonds due 2011 in the market for cancellation. The purchase follows a £27.65m purchase of bonds for cancellation announced on 21 May. Following cancellation there w

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Capital and Counties bosses lay foundations

14th May 2010 16:29

Bosses at Capital and Counties Properties have been opening their accounts in the real estate firm following its demerger from the property giant Liberty International. Chairman Ian Durant bought 122,347 shares at 1,21.7p a share, paying a total of £148,884, while chief executive Ian Hawksworth, to

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London close: Blue chips make healthy gains

13th May 2010 16:33

London's top stocks rallied near the close to finish well up on the day as traders speculated on possible measures to cut the UK's debt burden. A VAT rise to 20% is a likely measure according to a group of economists questioned by the BBC. Justin King, chief executive of supermarket Sainsbury's,

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London afternoon: Footsie still in the blue

13th May 2010 15:06

London's top stocks are easing down towards the close after a flat start on Wall Street and some calming down of the excitement over the plans of the new Conservative-Liberal government. The focus now is on just how they new government intends to get the UK's debt levels down, with a VAT rise to 20

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London midday: BT leads market higher

13th May 2010 12:07

London's top stocks are making good gains helped by BT's full-year numbers and a decent showing from the miners. BT is the strongest riser on news that telecoms giant returned to the black in the last quarter and the full year and reported a 6% rise in the dividend. Pre-tax profit hit £1.01bn in th

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