London pre-open: Slight gains expected
23rd Feb 2010 07:36
Footsie is expected to rise slightly despite a lower finish on Wall Street last night. Building supplies group Wolseley said it expects profits for the year to 31 July 2010 to exceed analysts' expectations of £326m. However, it said the better than expected earnings will be due to improvements in c
Read moreReckitt Benckiser accused over Gaviscon marketing
23rd Feb 2010 07:07
Reckitt Benckiser faces an investigation into sales of its Gaviscon heartburn medicines to the NHS after the OFT accused it of abusing its dominant market position. The OFT alleges that Reckitt Benckiser sought to restrict competition to its Gaviscon brand by withdrawing and de-listing its NHS pack
Read moreBroker tips: Morrisons, Reckitt, Ryanair
2nd Feb 2010 13:11
Morrisons has come a long way since it bought rival supermarket Safeway, said the broker JP Morgan as it lifted its rating on the stock to 'overweight' from 'neutral', upping the target price to 340p from 320p. It is now three times the size and its food sales density, a measure of how much is sold
Read moreBroker snap: Credit Suisse cuts Reckitt Benckiser
2nd Feb 2010 09:51
Credit Suisse has cooled on the appeal of Anglo-Dutch company Reckitt Benckiser, reckoning that the next few months will be challenging for household good makers. 'Reckitt's growth prospects may be lower by its own high standards, but should still be better than its immediate peers. It would surely
Read moreBroker tips: Tullow Oil, Reckitt, Tate & Lyle
29th Jan 2010 11:35
Oil company Tullow Oil's share price got a battering after it announced a £925m placing this week, but Exane BNP Paribas remains a fan of the stock, and sees a bright side to the fund raising. 'Reassuringly, the company says the proceeds will be used to fund an accelerated exploration drill-out and
Read moreBroker snap: Emerging markets opportunity for Reckitt
29th Jan 2010 09:48
It is time to consider emerging opportunities at Anglo-Dutch household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser, claims HSBC. The bank notes that Reckitt's price/earnings ratio relative to its peers is close to a six year low, 'even adjusted for Suboxone,' the company's heroin substitute drug for which it los
Read moreLondon Stock Exchange chairman buys despite technical glitch
26th Nov 2009 16:38
London Stock Exchange chairman Chris Gibson-Smith decided to add to his stake on the day that the London Stock Exchange's trading facilities were unavailable for more than three hours. He spent just under £100,000 on shares at 769.85p a share. That takes his stake in the London Stock Exchange to 63,
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: Tesco, Reckitt Benckiser, Ladbrokes
20th Nov 2009 06:28
Tesco's telecoms arm threatened a price war with the likes of BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse as it unveiled plans yesterday to offer bundled broadband and home phone packages for the first time. Britain's biggest retailer announced that it had signed a five-year deal with Cable & Wireless
Read moreBroker tips: SABMiller, Smiths, SSL
19th Nov 2009 13:08
The world's second biggest brewer, SABMiller, was the best performing blue-chip in London on Thursday after interim results, but Merrill Lynch remains hard to please. 'We do not believe the market will upgrade EBITA [earnings before interest, tax and amortisation] materially for 2010, but earnings
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Figures boost SABMiller
19th Nov 2009 12:14
Miners bore the brunt of today's selling with Antofagasta, Anglo American, Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta all lower. Platinum refiner Johnson Matthey also came under pressure as the dollar rallied a little. Brewer SABMiller cheered the market with better than expected interim r
Read moreLondon noon: Miners drag Footsie down
19th Nov 2009 12:00
Barely a fifth of the FTSE 100 constituents are in positive territory, but the fall on the blue-chip index is still modest, given the weakness of miners. With metals prices softening, the likes of Antofagasta, Anglo American, Xstrata, Randgold Resources, Rio Tinto and Vedanta are on the slide, as i
Read moreBroker snap: Reckitt rumours a worry for SSL
19th Nov 2009 11:24
Bid speculation that Anglo-Dutch household goods maker Reckitt Benckiser is contemplating a merger with US peer Colgate-Palmolive could be bad news for the share price of Durex condom firm SSL International. 'If the rumours that RB's [Reckitt Benckiser's] target is Colgate-Palmolive turn out to be
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: ARM, Reckitt Benckiser, Cineworld
28th Oct 2009 05:56
ARM Holdings cheered investors yesterday when it outstripped consensus estimates on its profits before exceptional charges at a time when the semi-conductor sector is suffering as a result of massively reduced demand for gadgets and consumer electronics. The company has also increased its margins b
Read moreLondon afternoon: London jolted by US consumer confidence data
27th Oct 2009 14:35
An unexpected fall in US consumer confidence in October has had a knock-on effect back in Blighty, with the FTSE 100 relinquishing most of the gains amassed during the morning. Household goods group Reckitt Benckiser shrugged off the recession during the third quarter, reporting a big jump in profi
Read moreReckitt Benckiser ups targets after Q3 boom
27th Oct 2009 12:05
Household goods group Reckitt Benckiser shrugged off the recession during the third quarter, reporting a big jump in profits and raising targets for the full year. The firm, which makes branded products such as Dettol, Vanish, Finish and Steradent, grew net revenue by 7% at constant exchange rates,
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