Tuesday tips round-up: Ocado, SABMiller
16th Sep 2014 07:44
The vision behind Ocado is quite alluring, to create a dominant online grocery delivery service. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be working. Instead of supermarkets becoming dependent on it, which would allow the company to raise prices, its wafer thin margins are already under pressure due to th
Read moreLondon close: FTSE ended marginally lower as Scotland, Fed, Ukraine, China weigh
15th Sep 2014 17:05
The top tier index ended Monday's session marginally lower as strong gains by SABMiller helped to partially offset concerns about geopolitical tensions, the Scottish referendum, the latest Fed meeting and weak data from China. Ultimately, the FTSE closed 2.75 pionts lower at 6,804.21. "Trading in E
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Micro Focus jumps on M&A news
15th Sep 2014 15:46
UK software group Micro Focus International is to merge with The Attachmate Group in a $2.4bn deal which "presents a rare opportunity to achieve a significant increase in the scale and breadth" of the business. The company also assured investors that its previously announced 60p-a-share (£84m) cash
Read moreSunday share tips: Home retail, Panmure Gordon, Ocado
14th Sep 2014 13:16
UK consumer confidence remains fragile, making Home Retail Group's shares no better than a hold, Questor said in the Sunday Telegraph. The owner of Argos and Homebase's shares fell last week by saying DIY sales had fallen faster than expected. Argos sales are doing much better, helped by demand for
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Aveva leads downside after profit warning
12th Sep 2014 15:54
Aveva shares were tumbling on Friday after the group issued a profit warning. Currency movements and the timing of contract renewals had already been flagged, but the company also said that a sales force reorganisation and a softening of demand in some markets would also have an impact on numbers. A
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bwin.party climbs on news of new JV
11th Sep 2014 15:54
Bwin.party's wholly-owned digital payments arm, Kalixa, has formed a joint venture focused on Africa and Latin America with telecommunications and media firm Millicom. The group said the move was "a significant step in continuing to build externally generated business volume and revenue". Retail sal
Read moreOcado enjoys healthy Q3 sales but analysts left cold
11th Sep 2014 07:51
Retail sales at online shopping group Ocado grew a click faster than analysts expected in the third quarter, with its contract with Morrisons also progressing well. The FTSE 250 company grew total sales, including its contract with Morrisons, by 22.5% to £231.9m in the 12 weeks to 10 August, with di
Read moreThursday preview: Wm Morrison dividend in focus
10th Sep 2014 15:43
Tomorrow is “Super Thursday” for retail followers in the City, with interim results from FTSE 100 heavyweights Next and Morrison, as well as but also a quarterly updates from FTSE 250 pair Ocado and Home Retail, together with updates from small caps Dunelm and Darty and the privately hel
Read moreSunday share tips: Ocado, Hargreaves Lansdown, Volution
8th Sep 2014 11:55
After a "wild ride" for Ocado shareholders, the company faces further uncertainty, Danny Fortson argued in the Sunday Times. Its agreement to deliver groceries for Morrisons cheered investors but it has not signed any more deals. Ocado is in a price war with other grocers, who are catching up with i
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bwin.party rises despite wider H1 losses
29th Aug 2014 15:13
Gaming giant Bwin.party was a strong riser despite reporting wider first-half losses, which reflected a fall in casino and poker revenues. Loss before tax in the six months to 30 June 2014 came to €94m, up from €11.6 the previous year. Ophir was higher after it announced board changes in a bid to r
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: AA, Iron ore prices, Ocado...
29th Aug 2014 07:11
Shareholder groups last night warned of a corporate governance breakdown at the AA after chief executive Chris Jansen resigned two months after its stock market float. The roadside assistance firm decided its boardroom was not big enough for both Jansen and executive chairman Bob Mackenzie, who led
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Playtech rises after boosting dividend
28th Aug 2014 16:15
Playtech shares rose strongly after the group reported a rise in revenue and boosted its interim dividend. It also confirmed several new contracts. Net assets doubled at IP Group, thanks to a £100m capital raising, the acquisition of Fusion IP and a big increase in the value of its portfolio compa
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Telecity slides as CEO plans exit
26th Aug 2014 16:35
Telecity's shares slumped on Tuesday after announcing the departure of chief executive Michael Tobin who has been with the company for more than 10 years. Tobin will leave in October following a handover period on 31 October. It comes shortly after Eric Hageman was appointed chief financial officer
Read moreSector movers: Tesco boosts food retailers as investors welcome CEO change
21st Jul 2014 15:00
A profit warning from Tesco sent many UK supermarket stocks lower on Monday, but investors in the firm itself seemed to celebrate the appointment of a new boss, sending shares in the grocery giant higher. Tesco, the largest retailer in Britain and second-largest in the world with a market capitalis
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Carphone Warehouse, Dixons surge as shareholders approve merger
18th Jul 2014 14:32
Merger partners Carphone Warehouse and Dixons Retail were both gaining around 5% on Friday afternoon after shareholders overwhelmingly voted in favour of the £3.7bn tie-up yesterday. "I'm delighted that shareholders have unequivocally supported the creation of Dixons Carphone," said Sebastien James
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