Broker snap: Vodafone warrants premium rating
4th Feb 2011 13:29
Mobile phone titan Vodafone's upbeat trading statement on Thursday should improve sentiment and encourage a premium rating for the stock, Nomura Research believes. "Vodafone's US exposure should also command a premium given the more co-operative atmosphere at Verizon Wireless," where Vodafone hold
Read moreLondon close: Shell continues to provide a drag
3rd Feb 2011 17:05
Footsie failed to hang on to yesterday's 6,000 level and finished 0.28% lower despite Wall Street beginning to recover from its early morning lows towards the end of the London trading session. Royal Dutch Shell stayed the heaviest faller in London despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profi
Read moreVodafone predicts top end profits
3rd Feb 2011 07:43
Mobile phone titan Vodafone thinks full-year profit will be at the top end of the range following a third quarter that went pretty much as expected, driven by strong growth in India and parts of Europe. The company, which yesterday announced the departure of chairman Sir John Bond, reckons adjuste
Read moreLondon close: FTSE 100 back at 6,000
2nd Feb 2011 16:39
Strength in the mining sector on the back of higher metals prices and well-received updates drove the FTSE 100 back to 6,000 points. Both factors benefited miner Eurasian National Resources (ENRC). Production matched estimates in the fourth quarter of 2010, while the ferroalloys unit produced a bit
Read moreLondon afternoon: Tobacco giant leads way
2nd Feb 2011 15:07
A limp start on Wall Street isn't helping London, but the leading index remains within reach of 6,000, supported by a strong mining sector and big gains at cigarette maker Imperial Tobacco. Resource plays still dominate the leaderboard. Eurasian National Resources (ENRC) is better on news productio
Read moreBroker tips: BP, Vodafone, Compass
2nd Feb 2011 13:44
While BP still remains in transition mode in 2011, Credit Suisse says the shares continue to offer good valuation upside despite the uncertainty surrounding its Macondo well liabilities. The oil giant gave its first strategy update since the oil spill in April, in which it unveiled a "solid strateg
Read moreBroker snap: Vodafone priced beyond perfection
2nd Feb 2011 12:24
RBS expects steady revenue trends in the third quarter for mobile telecoms giant Vodafone, but with shares trading at a 20% premium to its large-cap peers, the broker says the group appears priced more like a growth stock. Vodafone will release its third quarter interims on Thursday, in which RBS e
Read moreLondon midday: Miners underpin FTSE 100 gains
2nd Feb 2011 12:09
Strong gains in the mining sector are helping to keep the top share index close to the 6,000 point mark. Results are also driving shares forward. The best performing miner in the FTSE 100, Eurasian National Resources (ENRC), said production was in line with expectations in the fourth quarter of 201
Read moreLondon open: Miners push Footsie above 6,000
2nd Feb 2011 08:26
Mining stocks are driving London higher in the early going as the price of copper rose to record levels in New York and London, following unexpectedly good US manufacturing figures yesterday. The giants of the mining sector, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, are both sporting solid gains, as are Lonmin,
Read moreBond to step down as Vodafone chairman
2nd Feb 2011 07:44
Sir John Bond is to relinquish the chairman role of mobile phone network giant Vodafone at the company's annual general meeting in July. He will be succeeded as chairman by Gerard Kleisterlee, currently president and chief executive officer and chairman of the board of management and the group mana
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Banks, Inflation, Tesco...
19th Jan 2011 06:34
Sir John Vickers will use a speech on Saturday to make clear that big banks are mistaken if they believe his government-appointed Commission on Banking will leave them intact. In a sign that he is determined to tackle the "too big to fail" agenda, Sir John is expected to outline a range of ways in
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Smiths rejects medical bid
17th Jan 2011 13:21
Smiths Group is the best performer today following the revelation that it turned down a £2.45bn bid for its medical division from private equity firm Apax. Credit Suisse had previously estimated the medical division was worth £2.1bn. Even so, Smiths did not want to pursue talks at the indicative b
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Greggs, Vodafone, Moneysupermarket
13th Jan 2011 06:29
Britain's biggest bakery chain Greggs shrugged off the effects of the big freeze, reporting trading over Christmas that was stronger than expected, with a 3.5% rise in sales, or 0.6% on a like-for-like basis, over the five-week period. The current valuation of 11 times 2011's projected profits fairl
Read moreTechMARK movers: Sinclair's new incentive plan
23rd Dec 2010 12:47
Sinclair Pharma is calling a general meeting to gain shareholder approval for a new executive incentive scheme. The Sinclair Pharma Plc 2011 Value Creation Plan involves the allocation of units from a total pot. These units offer a share in the growth of the business depending on the achievement o
Read moreBroker tips: Vodafone, Carpetright, Betfair
14th Dec 2010 15:45
Vodafone deserves a premium rating due to the combination of the mobile phone giant's improving profit trend, premium cash conversion and clear dividend upside, says Nomura. The iPhone is expected to be on wireless operator Verizon's (VZW) shelves in early 2011, and analyst James Britton expects it
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