London open: Stocks edge higher, Premier Foods slide continues
1st Jul 2011 08:32
Stocks have edged higher on a quiet day on the company news front following yesterday's deluge. Pub group Greene King, which yesterday reported a big rise in profits but also reported volatile trading since the year end, sending the shares lower, has won back some losses. However, Hovis bread maker
Read moreLondon close: Rally continues as Greek fears ease
30th Jun 2011 16:38
The rally continued Thursday, helping the top share index move back towards the 6,000 point mark it had been flitting around from the beginning of the year until the escalation of the Greek debt crisis. The Greek parliament's second vote on the proposed new austerity measures provided further chee
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: LSE shareholders rejoice failed TMX bid
30th Jun 2011 15:58
The FTSE 250 index was in the positive territory for the third consecutive day. The high profile merger of the London Stock Exchange and Canadian bourse TMX - touted as the much needed trans-Atlantic transaction by the LSE - fell through after LSE's shareholders failed to support the deal. The Lon
Read morePremier Foods off the boil after profits warning
30th Jun 2011 14:54
Food manufacturer Premier Foods warned of a significant drop in profit for the first half of the year, reflecting higher input costs and sluggish consumer spending heightened by unseasonably warm weather. The company, whose brands include Hovis bread, Branston pickle and Sharwood's cooking sauces,
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Greece, M&A activity fuels optimism
29th Jun 2011 15:25
World markets rejoiced after the Greek parliament voted in favour of the much needed but highly controversial austerity plan in order to receive the fifth instalment of the bailout package, while closer to home, merger activity lifted the mid-cap stock index. Shares of Charter International sky roc
Read moreMichael Page boss trousers £1.2m
13th May 2011 16:13
Charles-Henri Dumon, who is in charge of Michael Page's operations in continental Europe and the Americas, has pocketed nearly £1.2m from the sale of shares in the firm. He offloaded 220,000 shares at 543.59 a time and still has 736,886. Dumon joined Michael Page in 1985 and was appointed a Direct
Read moreSector movers: Bodycote lifts industrial engineering sector
27th Apr 2011 14:06
Industrial engineers are wanted today, helped by a positive first quarter update by thermal processing services firm Bodycote. The metals engineer said revenues for the three months to 31 March 2011 were 19.2% higher than in the same period last year, and expects headline operating profit for the y
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Bodycote soars after strong quarter
27th Apr 2011 13:48
The big mover of the day is engineering firm Bodycote after it said it expects headline operating profit for the year to 31 December 2011 to be towards the top end of analysts' forecasts after strong demand for heavy trucks. The outlook impresses broker Prime Markets which said that the shares (curr
Read moreFirst quarter sales drop at Premier Foods
27th Apr 2011 08:20
While Premier Foods managed to up its prices to cover inflation in the first quarter, the Hovis bread and Branston pickle maker saw sales fall by 3.1%. However, the company did stress that the rate of decline slowed towards the end of the period, and expects that "a better performance in March is m
Read moreBroker tips: Burberry, Premier Foods, Hunting
20th Apr 2011 12:21
UBS raises its numbers for luxury fashion brand Burberry after a bullish conference call that suggested another strong year ahead. The broker expects another year of solid underlying top-line growth heading into 2012: retail is said to benefit from a 12-13% increase in selling space and continued m
Read moreBroker snap: Premier Foods first quarter will disappoint
20th Apr 2011 12:19
Credit Suisse predicts that Premier Foods' interim management statement for the first quarter (due at the end of the month) will prove a little disappointing, but still keeps its 'outperform' rating on the Hovis bread and Branston pickle maker. Sales have got off to a very slow start this year, acc
Read moreDiageo finance boss tops up
7th Apr 2011 15:45
Diageo's finance boss Deirdre Mahlan has added to her stake in the Guinness brewer and spirits supplier, buying nearly £150,000 of shares. The American took 3,021 American Depositary Shares (ADS) in the company. An ADS, which is equivalent to four ordinary shares, is a dollar denominated share of
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 soars past 6,000
1st Apr 2011 16:38
Shares have moved back above the 6,000 point mark as economic data from the US stoked optimism. Private non-farm payrolls rose by 216,000 in March, versus consensus expectations for a 190,000 person increase. Also, the unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, to 8.8% (Consensus: 8.9%). Average hourly e
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Premier upgrade whets appetites
1st Apr 2011 14:51
Investors have an appetite for shares in Premier Foods after Morgan Stanley lifted its rating on the Hovis bread and Branston pickle maker's efforts to tackle its balance sheet issues. It now has an "over-weight" rating on Premier, from "equal-weight" previously. Morgan Stanley has a 40p price ta
Read moreLondon afternoon: US jobs data provides fresh impetus
1st Apr 2011 14:28
The release of generally favourable US non-farm payrolls data has given London shares fresh impetus. Some disappointing factory data here has failed to dull investor appetite. The March UK manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index PMI fell unexpectedly to 57.1 points, against consensus expectations f
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