ShoreCap labels Unilever as long-term winner in FMCG sector
16th Apr 2015 09:28
Shore Capital has reiterated a 'buy' recommendation on Unilever after the consumer products giant beat forecasts with its first-quarter update, with the broker labelling it as a long-term winner in the FMCG sector. Underlying sales growth in the first three months of the year was 2.8%, ahead of Shor
Read moreLondon open: Greek woes pull UK stocks back from record high
16th Apr 2015 09:13
London's stock market pulled back slightly on Thursday morning, with investors pausing for breath after a record-setting session the previous day. The FTSE 100 was down 0.19% at 7,083.32 in early deals, retreating from Wednesday's all-time closing high of 7,096.78. The index also set a record intrad
Read moreLondon pre-open: UK stocks to extend record highs early on
16th Apr 2015 07:55
UK stocks are expected to edge higher in early trading on Thursday despite setting another record the previous session. City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open five points higher than Wednesday's all-time closing high of 7,096.78. The index also set a record intraday high of 7,111.72 during Wedn
Read moreUnilever first quarter sparkles as sees 'more tailwinds than headwinds'
16th Apr 2015 07:14
Unilever has lifted it quarterly dividend 6% as consumer goods colossus enjoyed a strong start to 2015 with underlying sales for the first quarter ahead of analyst estimates. Chief executive Paul Polman said the company had started to see "more tailwinds than headwinds" in its markets. Turnover inc
Read moreTuesday broker round-up
24th Mar 2015 14:42
Legal&General: Canaccord Genuity reiterates hold and raises target to 290p from 240p. Standard Chartered: JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates overweight and lifts target to 1,250p from 1,050p. Vesuvius: Credit Suisse reiterates underperform and hikes target 460p from 405p. Marks&Spencer: Investec reit
Read moreBroker tips: Barclays, Travis Perkins, Intertek, Kingfisher, Consumer staples
3rd Mar 2015 11:51
A handful of brokerages continue to rate Barclays stock as 'buy' despite Tuesday's results from the bank that contain a huge increase in provisions to cover the costs of legal fees relating to scandals. Despite concerns in the market that rising litigation costs could dent the group's profitability
Read moreInvestec names AB Foods and Unilever as key picks in consumer staples sector
3rd Mar 2015 10:04
Shares in Associated British Foods (ABF) and Unilever were making decent gains on Tuesday after broker Investec named the two stocks as its top picks in the European consumer staples sector. Analysts Alex Smith and William Cuss gave both companies a 'buy' rating, setting target prices of 3,650p for
Read moreLondon close: Chinese data offsets IMF downgrade
20th Jan 2015 17:23
Stocks ended the session with modest gains on the heels of better-than-expected growth figures in China. The FTSE 100 gained 34.57 points to finish the day at 6,629. China's gross domestic product expanded at a 7.4% clip in 2014, markets seemed to draw comfort from the fact that the rate of expansi
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Chinese data boosts commodities and retail, Unilever sinks on dissapointing growth
20th Jan 2015 13:57
Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever was among the fallers after revealing slower-than-expected growth in 2014. Underlying sales were up 2.9%, faster than the markets they operate in but lower than analyst forecasts, with volumes higher by 1% and prices advancing by 1.9%. The company's core
Read moreUnilever misses targets and warns of softer first quarter
20th Jan 2015 07:57
Fast-moving consumer goods giant Unilever saw slower growth than expected in 2014, and warned the first quarter of 2015 would be softer than than last year but that growth would improve during the year. Full year results showed underlying sales growth of 2.9%, faster than the markets it operates in
Read moreFriday newspaper round-up: IAG and Aer Lingus, North Sea oil, Unilever and RB...
19th Dec 2014 06:55
The Times has printed a story on British Airways owner IAG's revelation that a secret €1bn-plus takeover of Aer Lingus was rejected by the Irish carrier's board. According to the new source, a takeover by IAG would have seen the airline seize even more highly prized take-off and landing slots at cap
Read moreMonday broker round-up UPDATE
17th Nov 2014 10:32
African Barrick Gold: Investec reduces target price from 262p to 170p and downgrades to sell. Associated British Foods: Liberum initiates with a target price of 3470p and a buy recommendation. Bodycote: Investec lowers target price from 750p to 745p and maintains its buy recommendation. Centamin:
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Tesco, Unilever
24th Oct 2014 07:55
Let's play a game, 'name that company'. It made £112m of pre-tax profit at the half stage of the year on £34bn of revenue. On top of that, sales have been on the decline everywhere over the last 18 months. Who done it? You guessed it, Tesco. More importantly, to put it simply, price charts can be mi
Read moreLondon close: Supermarket share slump limits market gains
23rd Oct 2014 16:15
UK supermarkets held back London shares on Thursday after beleaguered Tesco reported lower first half profits and said the hole in its accounts was bigger than thought. Shares in Tesco led the FTSE 100 Index fallers with a 12p slump to 171p as the group said trading profits dropped 39.4% at constant
Read moreCharles Stanley says keep Unilever shares amid tough markets
23rd Oct 2014 13:39
Charles Stanley is advising investors to hold tight on Unilever shares for now after the Pot Noodle-to-Flora margarine group reported lower turnover due to currency volatility and said markets remained tough. Unilever said turnover fell 2% to €12.2bn including a negative currency impact of 2.6% as e
Read more