Roberts Walters halves profits as costs soar
2nd Aug 2012 09:59
Roberts Walters, a recruitment firm, posted a reduction in half year profit despite rising revenue as the cost of sales and administrative expenses overtook income growth. Profit before tax more than halved to £7.1m (2011: £3.1m), on revenues of £275m (2011: £241.6m), after the cost of sales rose
Read moreWeek Ahead: Recruiters, house builders, AB Foods
6th Jul 2012 11:51
Next week sees two big recruitment agencies, Michael Page and Hays, update the market, and if the Thursday's report from smaller rival Robert Walters is anything to go by, the news may not be good. Better news is expected from house builders Bovis and Galliford Try if recent trading statements from
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Dunelm higher after revenue increase
5th Jul 2012 14:11
Homewares retailer Dunelm advanced after saying that total revenue increased 21.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of the group's fiscal year, boosted by the unusually wet weather. However, the group cautioned that it expects consumer spending to remain under pressure. Recruitment groups Hays and Mi
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks edge higher as BoE ups QE
5th Jul 2012 11:35
- BoE increases QE, maintains Bank Rate - ECB expected to cut refi rate to 0.75 per cent - GKN jumps higher after 633m-pound Volvo Aero purchase The Footsie was registering moderate gains in morning trade on Thursday as investors hoped that the Bank of England would inject more stimulus into the su
Read moreRobert Walters hit by slowdown in Asia Pacific
5th Jul 2012 09:37
A banking sector slow-down in the Asia Pacific put a dent in net fee income in the second quarter at recruitment firm Robert Walters. Group profit in the second quarter fell 3 per cent, or 2 per cent on a constant currency basis, from £49.2m a year ago to £47.6m this time round, which the group hai
Read moreFriday broker round-up -UPDATE
25th May 2012 09:16
Aggreko: HSBC upgrades from neutral to overweight. Bumi: Nomura slashes target to 860p from 1,000p, stays at neutral. British Petroleum: Credit Suisse retains outperform, cuts target to 540p from 550p. ARM Holdings: UBS upgrades from neutral to buy, target lifted from 620p to 630p. BAE Systems
Read moreThree directors buy up shares in Aga Rangemaster
9th Mar 2012 16:18
Shaun Smith, the Finance Director of cooker maker Aga Rangemaster, has bought 16,090 shares in the firm, on the same day the company revealed a rise in operating profits despite falling revenue. Smith purchased the shares at 87.00p each for a total of £13,998. The Chief Executive, William McGrat
Read moreFriday broker round-up - UPDATE
2nd Mar 2012 09:28
Man Group: UBS raises target from 160p to 165p, buy rating unchanged. WPP: UBS ups target from 840p to 920p, buy rating kept. Standard Chartered: AlphaValue downgrades from reduce to sell, price target upped from 1,413.8p to 1,425.9p. IMI: Panmure Gordon keeps buy rating and 1,020p target. Cairn
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
1st Mar 2012 09:33
RBS: Berenberg downgrades to sell from buy. Randgold Resources: Nomura maintains buy rating and 9,850p target. BG Group: Nomura maintains buy rating and 1,865p target. WPP: Nomura maintains buy rating and 990p target. BAE Systems: UBS ups target from 320p to 360p, buy rating unchanged. Capita:
Read moreLondon close: Footsie finishes below best levels
6th Jan 2012 17:17
London closed comfortably below its best levels of the day despite better than expected US jobless data which had some market commentators crying 'foul'. US non-farm payrolls grew by 200,000 during the month of December. The consensus estimate was for a reading of 155,000. Morgan Stanley has sugges
Read moreLondon midday: Man down as CS cuts target price
6th Jan 2012 12:40
After a quiet start, London's leading shares have kicked on a bit, ahead of the release this afternoon of US jobs data for December. The market is expecting US non-farm payrolls to have increased by 150,000 in December, an improvement on November's 120,000 increase. The unemployment rate is tipped
Read moreLondon open: Waiting on US jobs data
6th Jan 2012 08:54
Footsie is barely changed in quiet trading, as traders await this afternoon's release of US jobs data for December. The market is expecting US non-farm payrolls to have increased by 150,000 in December, an improvement on November's 120,000 increase. The unemployment rate is tipped to rise to 8.7% f
Read moreInternational diversification pays off for Robert Walters
6th Jan 2012 08:13
Fears that a fourth quarter trading update by recruitment firm Robert Walters might include a profit warning proved unfounded, though the group concedes that conditions in the UK market remain difficult. "Group net fee income for the year ended 31 December 2011 was up 18% [15% on a constant curren
Read moreFriday preview: Robert Walters, Caledonia, US jobs
5th Jan 2012 17:56
Profit warnings last month from rivals Michael Page and SThree suggest that Friday's trading statement from recruitment firm Robert Walters might not be for the squeamish. The consolation for holders of the shares is that a fourth-quarter slump in recruitment is already built into the price. Blue-
Read moreBroker tips: Tesco, Standard Chartered, Recruiters
8th Dec 2011 11:17
Today's update from Tesco has prompted a mixed reaction from brokers Nomura and Evolution Securities, who have given contrasting assessments of the supermarket chain's third quarter figures. Nomura is generally pleased with the statement, saying that the figures came in line with expectations. The
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