London midday: Stocks erase losses to trade flat amid geopolitical developments
12th Aug 2014 12:10
- Markets trim losses to finish flat - Geopolitics in focus with aid on its way to Ukraine - German ZEW survey disappoints - Prudential, Just Eat, Ladbrokes and Serco rise after results techMARK 2,726.95 -0.02% FTSE 100 6,630.32 -0.04% FTSE 250 15,498.56 +0.24% UK stocks had clawed back losses and
Read moreTuesday broker round-up UPDATE
12th Aug 2014 09:25
African Barrick Gold: Investec ups target price from 212p to 260p upgrading from sell to hold. Al Noor Hospotals: Jefferies cuts target price from 1155p to 1125p and maintains a buy recommendation. Aquarius Platinum: Citi shifts target price from 22p to 26p and keeps a neutral rating. BHP Billito
Read moreLondon open: Stocks fall despite strong earnings, as geopolitics weigh
12th Aug 2014 09:00
- Investors watch Ukraine crisis amid 'aid mission' speculation - ZEW surveys in focus in Germany - Ladbrokes, Just Eat, Serco and SIG rise after results - Hargreaves Lansdown hit by comments from UBS techMARK 2,721.19 -0.23% FTSE 100 6,621.59 -0.17% FTSE 250 15,468.99 +0.05% UK stocks declined on
Read moreSerco reports poor H1 trading but cuts debt
12th Aug 2014 07:54
Troubled support services group Serco reported "poor" first half trading and predicted challenges ahead, but said it had reduced net debt and appointed a new finance chief. Serco won less work during the period and said previously higher-than-average margin work fell in volume or was lost on re-bid
Read moreLondon pre-open: UK stocks to fall ahead of German data, geopolitics
12th Aug 2014 07:52
UK stocks were expected to open lower on Tuesday as investors eyed geopolitical developments in Ukraine and awaited key economic data from Germany. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around 10 points lower than Monday's close of 6,632.82. The index advanced 1% on Monday on the back of i
Read moreTuesday preview: Ladbrokes, Serco report first half results
11th Aug 2014 15:35
Ladbrokes' chief executive Richard Glynn will need to show investors that his strategy to turn the British bookmaker around is working when the company reports its first half results on Tuesday. Glynn needs to prove that its new digital platform worked well through the World Cup and had helped the
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Interserve gains after first half results
6th Aug 2014 15:36
Interserve rallied after the British building services and construction company reported a 36% rise in first half profit. The group also said it has secured future work worth up to £7.5bn, compared to £6.4bn at the end of 2013. The interim dividend was lifted 10.3% to 7.5p. Chief executive Adrian
Read moreBroker tips: Standard Chartered, Fresnillo, Meggitt, Serco
6th Aug 2014 12:57
Investec says Standard Chartered coped well with a difficult first half of the year and is "still probably the best bank in the world". The broker acknowledges that 2014 "may not be a stellar year", but it expects a kick-start for revenue-led growth in the second half of the year and beyond. It ke
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 near 6,600 as Ukraine crisis sinks stocks
6th Aug 2014 12:09
- Russian troops amass along Ukraine border - UK, Italian and German data disappoints - Ex-dividend stocks fall - StanChart falls after results, Shire drops FTSE 100 6,604.48 -1.17% FTSE 250 15,162.03 -1.24% techMARK 2,708.06 -1.23% Fears about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a sell
Read moreSerco shares hit by Numis downgrade to 'reduce'
6th Aug 2014 11:04
Serco's shares were under pressure on Wednesday after Numis Securities cut its recommendation for the outsourcing group from 'hold' to 'reduce'. The broker said the market was already pricing in a "significant operational turnaround" at the company after new chief executive Rupert Soames started in
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
6th Aug 2014 10:20
Aggreko: Jefferies raises target price from 1800p to 2000p and keeps a buy recommendation. Investec ups target price from 1650p to 1700p and leaves its hold recommendation unchanged. Avingtrans: FinnCap cuts target price from 170p to 155p downgrading from buy to hold. Aviva: Jefferies initiates wi
Read moreWednesday broker round-up UPDATE
23rd Jul 2014 09:01
Abcam: Canaccord Genuity ups target price from 375p to 400p and upgrades from hold to buy. ARM Holdings: Deutsche Bank cuts target price from 975p to 950p and maintains a hold recommendation. Credit Suisse lowers target price from 1125p to 1100p and leaves its outperform rating unaltered. Beazley:
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Evraz soars on latest rumours
7th Jul 2014 15:45
Evraz shares extended Friday's gains, today lifted by rumours Mechel, a Russian miner, is planning to merge its assets with the steel giant. At the end of last week the group was lifted by rumours it was looking to offload a stake in its North American assets in an effort to cut debt. Balfour Beat
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Serco, Balfour Beatty, N Brown
6th Jul 2014 17:41
Serco is becoming a classic falling knife share, Questor said in The Sunday Telegraph. Its loss of the contract to run London's Docklands Light Railway caps a grim 12 months for the outsourcing group. The problem for Rupert Soames, the new Chief Executive, is that Serco is in danger of being locked
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Balfour Beatty, Serco
4th Jul 2014 10:19
Investors in Balfour Beatty have had a bad time of it of late. The UK construction group likes big, complex projects but during the recession the appetite for those was understandably curtailed. Hence, the company went after low margin work. The result is that while its UK engineering services arm g
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