London open: Barclays divestment sinks Footsie

2nd Jun 2009 08:33

London has opened lower in the wake of the decision by Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company to bank profits on its Barclays stake. Barclays is down by 13%. Khadem Al Qubaisi, managing director of IPIC, adding that the sale did not represent a lack of faith in Barclays, its managem

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London pre-open: Sale of Barclays stake dampens mood

2nd Jun 2009 07:41

Despite the strong showing by Wall Street overnight London is set to open lower in the wake of the decision by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) to bank profits on its Barclays stake. City sources expect the FTSE 100 will open around 16 points lower than the previous close of 4,5

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Pennon ahead of forecasts

2nd Jun 2009 07:07

South-West water utility Pennon posted profits ahead of market forecasts last year boosted by a good peformancae from waste arm Viridor. Revenue for the year to March rose by 8.9% to £952.9m, operating profit rose by 7% to £259m, while profits before tax were £159.1m, up from £149.6m. Brokers had b

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Tuesday preview: Pennon, Ryanair, Kingfisher

1st Jun 2009 16:40

There has been a stream of announcements from water companies in the last few days and Tuesday sees Pennon add to the torrent. Market consensus on pre-tax profit is £155m on revenue of £964m. The full-year dividend is expected to be raised to 20.42p from 19.81p the year before. An update on bad d

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Broker tips: Water companies, ITV, Johnston Press, Topps Tiles

27th May 2009 12:27

Brokers are queuing up to reappraise the water companies ahead of the sector's results season, which starts this week. After Merrill Lynch weighed in yesterday with downgrades for Pennon and Northumbrian Water, Credit Suisse has dealt another blow to Pennon, chopping its price target from 667p to 6

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Broker snap: Rally in water stocks to continue, says CS

27th May 2009 12:08

Brokers are queuing up to reappraise the water utility companies ahead of the sector's results season, which starts this week. After Merrill Lynch weighed in yesterday with downgrades for Pennon and Northumbrian Water, Credit Suisse has dealt another blow to Pennon, chopping its price target from 6

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Broker tips: Cable & Wireless, water companies, Holidaybreak

26th May 2009 13:13

Telecommunications group Cable & Wireless has been stuck in reverse since its results last Thursday, which were below many analysts' expectations. Credit Suisse has responded to the disappointing figures by downgrading its earnings forecasts 'to reflect a more cautious outlook and recent currency m

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Broker snap: Water companies sunk by downgrade

26th May 2009 12:53

Water companies are firm favourites of income investors but Merrill Lynch warns that in a potentially deflationary environment, shareholders should not be expecting much in terms of dividend growth. Merrill Lynch has cut its ratings on Pennon and Northumbrian Water from 'neutral' to 'underperform'

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