London open: Markets cautious ahead the Fed decision
20th Jun 2012 08:43
- Eyes on the MPC, Greece and FOMC - Ex-div stocks dampen Footsie - ITV gains on bid rumours The Footsie slight lower on Wednesday morning with investors showing caution ahead of what is likely to be a busy day on the macro-economic front; all eyes will be on the Bank of England (BoE), Greek leader
Read moreLondon pre-open: Cautious start expected ahead of a busy day
20th Jun 2012 07:28
City sources are predicting a tepid start on the FTSE 100, expecting the blue-chip index to open flat at around 5,586. Investors will be keeping a close eye on developments in Europe today, with Greek leaders set to form a coalition by midday, according to reports. Meanwhile, minutes from the lates
Read moreSage goes for a Brazilian
20th Jun 2012 07:01
Accountancy software behemoth Sage Group has acquired a controlling interest in Folhamatic Group, a provider of accounting, tax and payroll and regulatory content software in Brazil. The UK company is paying £125m for a 75% stake in the company, equating to an enterprise value for 100% of the busi
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
19th Jun 2012 08:16
APR Energy: UBS slashes target from 860p to 690p, sell rating unchanged. BHP Billiton: Jefferies keeps buy rating. Bumi: JP Morgan Cazenove initiates coverage with buy rating and 520p target. Computacenter: UBS cuts target from 530p to 465p, buy recommendation kept. Dixons Retail: Bank of Americ
Read moreHobson to step down as Chairman of Sage
15th Jun 2012 07:22
Tony Hobson is to step down as Chairman of accountancy software behemoth Sage at the beginning of September, to be succeeded by Donald Brydon, currently Chairman of technology firm Smiths Group. Brydon, who is also Chairman of the Royal Mail Group, will join the board of Sage as a non-executive dir
Read moreThursday broker round-up
10th May 2012 09:28
Abcam: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold recommendation and 370p target. Aveva: UBS upgrades from sell to neutral, 1,600p target unchanged. BAE Systems: AlphaValue upgrades from add to buy, target raised from 342.7p to 343.4p. BT: Jefferies keeps buy recommendation and 268p target; Nomura reitera
Read moreLondon close: Greece continues to weigh on stocks
9th May 2012 16:31
- Greek politics weighs on sentiment - Merkel tells Greece to stick to austerity - Sage, Weir fall heavily after updates London's blue chips rallied in afternoon trade after steep losses early on, but still finished well in the red on the back of concerns over the political situation in Greece. Com
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: ITV gains while Weir takes a hit
9th May 2012 15:14
Terrestrial broadcaster ITV was performing well after saying that its first-half net advertising revenues will be ahead of the market, thanks to an expected boost from the Euro 2012 football tournament. Revenues at Broadcasting & Online edged up a mere 1% to £440m in the first three months of 2012 f
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks tank again on euro worries
9th May 2012 11:36
- Weir and Sage fall heavily - ITV, Sainsbury, Glencore higher after updates - Footsie hits new YTD lows on euro concerns London's blue chip index had sunk to levels not seen since late December by Wednesday lunchtime, as political uncertainty in the Eurozone continues to cloud the outlook for the
Read moreBroker tips: HSBC, Sage, IHG
9th May 2012 11:10
Nomura has reiterated its buy recommendation and 650p target price for global banking giant HSBC, saying that consensus forecasts may increase slightly following the firm's first-quarter results yesterday. "The HSBC Q1 figures are unlikely to change perceptions of the group materially, in our view.
Read moreBroker snap: Revenue trends at Sage disappoint, says Merchant Securities
9th May 2012 10:22
Sage's interim results were broadly in line with expectations but raised some questions over revenue growth, according to Merchant Securities which has reiterated its hold recommendation and 300p target price for the stock this morning. The business software provider reported that adjusted earnings
Read moreWednesday broker round-up
9th May 2012 10:03
Anglo American: AlphaValue upgrades from add to buy, target cut from 2,767.9 to 2,731.3p. ARM Holdings: AlphaValue upgrades from sell to reduce, target cut from 459.7p to 458.7p. Balfour Beatty: Investec keeps sell recommendation and 210p target. Centamin: Investec keeps buy rating and 95p target
Read moreLondon open: Stocks claw back after heavy sell-off
9th May 2012 08:35
- Eurozone political uncertainty still ongoing - ITV, Sainsbury, Glencore wanted after updates - Weir and Sage fall sharply While the political uncertainty in the Eurozone is still on investors' minds, the FTSE 100 opened slightly higher on Wednesday morning following steep losses seen the day befo
Read moreEurope drags on Sage revenues
9th May 2012 07:19
Business software group Sage says a strategic switch to subscription revenues, plus difficulties in Europe, have constrained growth in the six months to the end of March. Despite those headwinds, the company delivered underlying revenue growth of 2%, with turnover hitting £661.2m against £649m at t
Read moreBroker tips: Tullow, Sage, Morgan Crucible
8th May 2012 11:30
Credit Suisse has raised its target price for Tullow Oil after the company revealed this morning that it has found more oil at one of its exploration wells in Kenya. "Another positive update on Ngamia-1 in Kenya. This is earlier than expected, and we like what we read," the broker said, adding that
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