Broker snap: Aviva still a buy but not a top pick, says Nomura
8th Mar 2012 09:54
Nomura has reiterated its buy rating and 630p target price on insurance giant Aviva, after its full-year results showed 'good earnings and improving solvency'. Full-year earnings were better than expected with IFRS operating profit of £2,503m beating consensus estimates of £2,414m and operational c
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, UK insurers, Yell
14th Feb 2012 11:25
UBS has raised its target price for UK lender Barclays by 21% but has maintained its neutral rating on the stock, saying it is "well-positioned but under-earning." The uplift in the target price, from 199p to 240p, reflects the improvement in tangible net asset value from the BlackRock revaluation
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
14th Feb 2012 10:40
British Land: Credit Suisse downgrades to neutral from outperform, target cut to 532p from 560p. Barclays: UBS raises target from 199p to 240p, neutral rating kept. Shore Capital upgrades to neutral from sell. Exane BNP upgrades to overweight from neutral. Standard Life: Nomura raises target from
Read moreBroker snap: L&G offers better value than peers, says Nomura
14th Feb 2012 09:56
Nomura has highlighted Legal & General (L&G) as its preference in the UK insurance sector, saying that it has higher cash yields than peers Aviva, Prudential and Standard Life. "We estimate that L&G still has the highest cash yield of 10% in the sector, measured against our FY 2011 cash earnings fo
Read moreSegro JV scoops UK Logistics Fund
1st Feb 2012 07:50
Industrial property firm Segro and Moorfield Real Estate Fund have together, through their recently established joint venture (JV), completed the acquisition of the UK Logistics Fund from Hermes Real Estate Investment Management, Legal & General and LaSalle Investment Management. The move marks a s
Read moreLondon close: Financials lead the way higher
15th Dec 2011 16:56
Footsie limped back above the 5,400 level in thin trade, with financial stocks leading the way. OLD MUTUAL SURGES AFTER DISPOSAL South African savings and insurance group Old Mutual was the best performing blue-chip after announcing that it is to sell its Nordic business Skandia AB for £2.1bn in
Read moreSector movers: Old Mutual boosts life insurers after Nordic sale
15th Dec 2011 15:01
Life insurance stocks were on the rise on Thursday afternoon, helped by FTSE 100 savings, investment and insurance group Old Mutual. Shares in Old Mutual roared higher on Thursday after announcing that it is to sell its Nordic business Skandia AB for £2.1bn in an effort to "reduce complexity" and p
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Old Mutual jumps into first place
15th Dec 2011 14:36
Old Mutual, the savings and investment group, leapt into the top spot on news it is to sell its Nordic business Skandia AB for £2.1bn in an effort to "reduce complexity" and pay down debt. The deal, which still needs regulatory and shareholder approval, is expected to complete during the first quar
Read moreLegal & General vice chairman stocks up
2nd Dec 2011 14:58
Legal & General's vice chairman and senior indepedent director Henry Staunton purchased over £10,000-worth of shares, one month after the firm reported a slight drop in sales. Staunton, who was appointed to the board in 2004, bought 9,708 shares at 105.60p each for a total of £10,252. At the sta
Read moreLondon close: Financials lower as euro fears persist
14th Nov 2011 16:40
Financials led the decline on Monday, bearing the brunt of Eurozone contagion fears. All eyes were on the bond market as yields on Italian and Spanish debt crept higher. ALL EYES ON BOND MARKETS The Italian Treasury met its target after issuing €3bn in five-year debt today, and while demand improv
Read moreSector movers: Insurers head lower
14th Nov 2011 16:09
Insurers were among the worst performers of the day, as the broader financial sector was weighed down by concerns over rising bond yields in Italy and Spain. FTSE 100 life insurance peers Prudential, Legal & General and Resolution were among the heaviest fallers on the blue chip index, while Phoeni
Read moreSunday newspaper round-up: EFSF, Interserve, Iraq, L&G, StanChart
13th Nov 2011 15:35
The Ministry of Defence will this week award contracts worth up to £420m to Interserve to maintain four overseas military bases. The group will provide electrical, mechanical and building services for bases in Cyprus, Ascension Island, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, where Prince William is to s
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Randgold, Inmarsat, Legal and General
3rd Nov 2011 09:20
The Independent looks at Randgold Resources which issued a management statement yesterday and was one of the FTSE 100's biggest climbers. The numbers for the third quarter were impressive with a huge rise in revenues and profits over the equivalent period of 2010. That said, there are a few dark clo
Read moreUPDATE: Wednesday broker round-up
2nd Nov 2011 09:51
G4S: Credit Suisse upgrades from neutral to outperform, target raised from 240p to 285p. Standard Chartered: Evolution Securities downgrades from buy to neutral, target unchanged at 1,800p. Standard Chartered: Nomura maintains buy rating and 1,800p target. Next: Investec places 2,350p target unde
Read moreLondon close: Footsie drops on fresh concerns for Greece
1st Nov 2011 16:47
With a surprise referendum vote on the Greek bail-out announced, a mass sell-off was seen in stock markets across the globe on Tuesday, not helped by some worrying manufacturing data at home and away. The Footsie may have finished some 78 points off its intraday lows, but that wasn't enough to pul
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