FTSE 250 movers: Tate & Lyle hit by downgrade, energy stocks higher
22nd Apr 2015 13:28
Shares in sugar, sweetener and food ingredients group Tate & Lyle were losing their flavour after analysts at Credit Suisse lowered their rating on the stock from 'neutral' to 'underperform'. Ladbrokes was also trading lower as the bookmaker revealed operating profits were down materially due to cus
Read moreThursday broker round-up
16th Apr 2015 13:42
AstraZeneca: Societe Generale reiterates buy and 6,660p target price. Tesco: Nomura reiterates neutral and lowers target to 185p from 190p. Burberry: UBS reiterates neutral stance and lifts target to 1,800p from 1,650p. Royal Dutch Shell: Barclays reiterates overweight. Persimmon: Shore Capital r
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Vesuvius plummets on downgrade, energy stocks higher
15th Apr 2015 13:08
Shares in metal flow engineering group Vesuvius dropped sharply after analysts at JPMorgan lowered their stance on the stock from 'overweight' to 'neutral', citing weak steel production in the US. The price target was lowered to 510p from 531p previously. JD Sports was trading higher after sprinting
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Oil stocks rise on M&A hopes, Go-Ahead upgraded
8th Apr 2015 15:34
A host of stocks in the oil sector were performing well on Wednesday after a £47bn takeover of BG Group by Shell sparked hopes it will trigger a new wave of industry consolidation. Larger players have held up well amid the oil crisis compared with their smaller peers and could now look to snap up st
Read moreSector Movers: M&A chatter perks up oil and gas, tech stocks
8th Apr 2015 13:21
M&A chatter dominated trading in London, with oil and gas shares rising on the back of blue chip Royal Dutch Shell's successful bid for smaller FTSE 100 rival BG Group. At 15:40 BST on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 was marginally down 7.35 points or 0.11% at 6954.42 as the market soaked in news of BG Grou
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks rise as BG Group takeover sparks M&A hopes
8th Apr 2015 11:54
London's FTSE 100 was fluctuating around the 7,000 level by Wednesday lunchtime as M&A activity gave sentiment a lift, with BG Group soaring as much as 40% after a takeover offer from Shell. Stocks across the oil and gas sector were rising strongly on speculation that Shell's move may spark a fresh
Read moreShell-BG Group takeover expected to spark M&A fever in oil sector
8th Apr 2015 09:37
Shell's £47bn takeover offer for BG Group not only sent shares in the natural gas outfit soaring on Wednesday, but gave other stocks in the sector a big boost. The deal sparked speculation that it may mark the start of a new round of industry consolidation, not seen since the late 1990s, as business
Read moreLondon open: M&A hopes boost UK stocks as BG Group soars on Shell takeover
8th Apr 2015 09:02
A takeover offer for BG Group and hopes for more M&A activity were giving UK stocks a big lift on Wednesday morning, with the FTSE 100 retesting the key 7,000 level. BG Group had soared by nearly 40% in early deals after oil major Shell offered £47bn in cash and shares for the natural gas outfit, sp
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Supergroup surges on dividend announcement, energy stocks higher
26th Mar 2015 13:56
Fashion firm Supergroup topped the risers after saying it would begin paying dividends with an interim payout in its 2015-16 financial year. Chief executive Euan Sutherland also revealed a surprise repurchase of it North American rights. Energy stocks were trading higher as oil prices spiked, includ
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 books new all-time highs to close above 7000
20th Mar 2015 16:52
Dovish central banks and fading worries about Greece exiting the Eurozone propelled the London market to record fresh all-time highs on Friday. At Friday's close, the FTSE 100 index stood strong at 7022.51, up 0.8% on the day, off a touch from its session high of 7024.21. "The FTSE 100's landmark m
Read moreFriday broker round-up
20th Mar 2015 15:33
Asos: Citi reiterates neutral. TSB Banking: Numis reiterates hold and 340p target. Aviva: Nomura reiterates buy and lifts target to 690p from 650p. WPP: Morgan Stanley reiterates buy and raises target to 1,625p from 1,400p. Tullow Oil: Barclays reiterates overweight and 550p target. William Hill
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Miners higher, Debenhams weaker on downgrade
20th Mar 2015 13:45
Vedanta Resources topped the risers, despite cutting its capital expenditure budget for 2015 by $400m and halving its 2016 budget. Miners Lonmin and Kaz Minerals were making gains on the rising three-month copper futures, which were 1.5% higher. Ophir Energy was boosted as investment analysts at De
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Retailers and energy stocks surge, ex-dividend insurers lower
19th Mar 2015 13:44
Supergroup made strong gains after Investec said a focus on retail execution and UK profit maximisation was a "major opportunity". The broker reiterated its 'buy' rating, with analyst Kate Calvert adding: "We see material growth opportunities, not only in maximising UK profitability by optimising it
Read moreOphir Energy reports full-year profit, prepares drilling programme
19th Mar 2015 07:53
In 2014 oil and gas exploration outfit Ophir Energy saw a sharp rise in profitability as it completed the sale of various exploration blocks off-shore Tanzania. Profits before tax turned into the blue to the tune of £288.49m, versus the prior year loss of £280.5m. The company registered a £671m gai
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Afren plummets on looming dilution, Diploma higher on Kubo deal
13th Mar 2015 13:47
Shares in Afren tumbled after the struggling oil and gas group proposed a debt-for-equity swap with creditors to address its funding needs and recapitalise . The company said it "will result in substantial dilution for existing shareholders", and if shareholders don't approve the plan, the company w
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