London pre-open: Modest falls expected
30th Sep 2011 07:55
There is little sign of London pulling out of its slide, with City sources predicting the FTSE 100 will open down 38 points from yesterday's close of 5,197. Drugs giant AstraZeneca has entered into a settlement agreement in its US SEROQUEL XR patent infringement litigation against Handa Pharmaceuti
Read moreRPC to beat profit forecast
30th Sep 2011 07:22
Plastics supplier RPC expects its adjusted pre-tax profits for the first half to be ahead of expectations after benefitting from synergies from the integration of its plastics and cardboard packaging business Superfos and growth in sales of products with big margins, such as coffee capsules. Revenu
Read moreCapital deputy chairman goes shopping again
19th Aug 2011 17:22
Billionaire property investor John Whittaker has bought another round of shares in Capital Shopping Centres (CSC), bringing his total stake to more than 20%. He took 100,000 shares at 317.6p a time, the company announced today.. Following the purchases, Whittaker now has nearly 172.5m shares or a
Read moreRPC uncorks asset sale
15th Aug 2011 07:56
Plastic packaging firm RPC has sold its Bramlage Verschlüsse wines and spirits closures manufacturing operation in Lohne, Germany. Bottle cap and closures maker Rauh GmbH is paying €2.9m for the assets. RPC said the funds from the sale will be used to fund the ongoing growth strategy of the group.
Read moreWednesday tips round-up: Whitbread, Capital Pub, Chemring
22nd Jun 2011 06:33
Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner Whitbread had indicated at the time of its preliminaries in April that the pace of growth was slowing. Some brokers hope for a bid from private equity, but others worry about further weakness in the regional hotel trade. On almost 13 times' this year's earnings, fu
Read moreLondon close: Big gains as updates impress
21st Jun 2011 16:41
Hopes that the Greek debt crisis could be resolved coupled with some strong company statements had the top share index posting big gains by the close of play. Cruise operator Carnival's shares steamed ahead in the afternoon, after the company revealed that second quarter revenues grew by $353m in t
Read moreDirectors gather Moss shares
21st Jun 2011 16:08
Directors at Moss Bros have been upping their stakes in the gentlemen's outfitter. Chairman Debbie Hewitt's husband Paul spent about £50,000, taking 167,724 shares at 29.6p a time. That means Debbie Hewitt now has an interest in 555,756 shares, or about 0.6% of the company. Finance director Robin
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Misys surges on approach
21st Jun 2011 14:06
Misys, the financial software provider, jumped 9% higher after confirming recent speculation over a possible offer. "The board of Misys PLC notes the recent speculation regarding a possible offer and confirms that it has received a preliminary approach that may or may not lead to an offer being made
Read moreLondon midday: Company updates boost FTSE 100
21st Jun 2011 12:04
The top share index is buoyant amid hopes the Greek debt crisis may be nearing a resolution, while some well-received company statements are underpinning the gains. Strong sales growth at Costa coffee shops helped hotel and restaurant group Whitbread to offset subdued activity in its restaurant div
Read moreLondon open: Whitbread pulls Footsie above 5,700
21st Jun 2011 08:31
The Footsie opened moderately higher, recovering after yesterday's losses. The FTSE 100 is 31 points up at 5,724 in early trading, being helped by strong gains from Whitbread and the mining sector. Strong sales growth at Costa coffee shops helped hotel and restaurant group Whitbread to offset subdu
Read moreRPC profit soars
21st Jun 2011 07:47
Plastic packaging supplier RPC revealed a surge in full year pre-tax profit and expects further growth from mature European and emerging markets. Pre-tax profit rose to £34.6m for the year to 31 March from £19.2m a year earlier. Sales increased by £99.3m to £819.2m after 9% growth on a like-for-li
Read moreTuesday tips round-up: Autonomy, Mears, RPC
17th May 2011 00:01
Autonomy is buying the digital storage assets of Iron Mountain, a quoted American company, for $380m (£234m). The City, which has an unsteady relationship with Autonomy, was generally in favour of the deal, not least because it clearly is an area the company knows well, which should mitigate risk. T
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Smith & Nephew, RPC, Ferrexpo...
27th Mar 2011 15:00
Last week, BlackRock - the world's largest asset management firm - increased its position in medical device group Smith & Nephew to almost 45m shares, representing 5.02% of the company, good news for a company consistently at the centre of takeover speculation. Shares in the artificial joint maker
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: C&W Worldwide plummets on 2012 guidance
24th Mar 2011 14:54
C&W Worldwide is doing its best the pull the index lower, falling over 15% after it issued its second profit warning within a year. The telecoms titan now expects flat earnings next year compared with earlier market forecasts of an increase of over £20m from £444m to £470m. The best performing stoc
Read moreRPC passes on higher plastics prices
24th Mar 2011 13:06
Higher selling prices and increased volumes at plastic packaging supplier RPC mean that revenues in the 2010/11 financial year will be well ahead of last year. The group said that it was able to pass through rising polymer prices to customers and saw significant growth in the higher added value sec
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