London open: Footsie rises after barrage of results
26th Apr 2012 08:36
- Unilever, Shell, Whitbread, Barclays rise after results/updates - Astra, Croda, Admiral provide a drag - Fed expects growth to 'pick up gradually' The FTSE 100 was heading for its third consecutive rise on Thursday with some well-received results from Unilever, Royal Dutch Shell, Whitbread and Ba
Read moreThursday broker round-up - UPDATE
26th Apr 2012 08:36
Admiral: Oriel Securities retains sell rating and 740p target. AstraZeneca: Panmure Gordon maintains buy rating and 3,600p target. Barclays: Nomura reiterates neutral rating and 268p target; Exane BNP Paribas keeps outperform rating and 300p target; Oriel Securities keeps buy rating and 285p targe
Read moreWhitbread serves up grande cup of profits
26th Apr 2012 07:29
Coffee shops, restaurants and hotels operator Whitbread topped expectations with full year profits and sales, with the Costa Coffee chain once again driving growth. Total revenue for the financial year ending on March 1st was up 11.2% to £1,778.0m from £1,599.7m the year before, ahead of expectatio
Read moreWednesday newspaper round-up: Spain, Fed, RBS/Lloyds...
4th Apr 2012 06:50
"Spain has set off further alarm bells among bond investors and its crisis-hit eurozone neighbours by conceding that its debts will balloon this year to their highest level for two decades. The admission fanned fears that the recession-bound country will lose its battle to stay on top of its debts w
Read moreLondon midday: Whitbread blows froth off Costa speculation
3rd Apr 2012 11:47
The Footsie moved sideways in the morning session, prompting the suspicion that many traders have made an early start to the Easter break. Food - and drink - for thought Whitbread's Chief Executive Officer, Andy Harrison, moved to damp down speculation about the possibility of the Premier Inn and
Read moreLondon pre-open: Stocks to track US indices higher
3rd Apr 2012 07:25
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 10 points from yesterday's close of 5,875, tracking US stocks higher which rose on the back of better-than-expected US and Chinese manufacturing data. Whitbread has given Finance Director Chris Rogers the job of running its Costa Coffee chain and imp
Read moreCosta spin-off speculation froths up at Whitbread
3rd Apr 2012 07:06
Whitbread has given Finance Director Chris Rogers the job of running its Costa Coffee chain and implementing worldwide expansion plans, adding fuel to speculation that the company is preparing to spin off the wildly successful chain. Chris Rogers, who joined Whitbread in 2005 as group finance direc
Read moreMurdoch's senior advisor ditches bucket load of shares
2nd Mar 2012 16:08
Arthur Siskind, senior advisor to News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, has ditched 120,000 shares in the firm. Siskind sold the shares at $20.26 each for a total of $2,431,200 on February 29th. The transaction came just one day before James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, quit his rol
Read moreLondon close: Stocks finish higher after volatile session
28th Feb 2012 17:08
- Ireland to hold referendum on fiscal compact. - US economic data comes in mixed. - GKN leads fallers after full-year results. The Footsie finished just 0.2 percent higher on Tuesday as losses over lunchtime were pared in the afternoon with stocks seesawing on some mixed economic data in the US. S
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: GKN drops despite hiking divi
28th Feb 2012 14:49
Automotive and aerospace engineer GKN dropped into the bottom spot despite hiking its total dividend by a fifth after seeing double-digit growth in both sales and profits in 2011. The group did report a subdued performance in GKN Aerospace as it has struggled with governments' defence spending remai
Read moreLondon midday: Footsie edges higher, GKN tumbles
28th Feb 2012 11:48
-Footsie trade within narrow range, edges 0.2% higher. -GKN, Whitbread, Serco disappoint after results/updates. -Persimmon jumps 13% after announcing cash return. London's FTSE 100 index held on to moderate gains by lunchtime, after having traded within a narrow range of just 19 points in the morni
Read moreTuesday broker round-up - UPDATE
28th Feb 2012 10:02
SABMiller: Nomura downgrades from buy to neutral, target increased from 2,600p to 2,700p. HSBC: Nomura cuts tagged from 725p to 650p, buy rating kept. Pearson: Nomura reiterates reduce rating and 1,200p target. Whitbread: Peel Hunt cuts target from 1,938p to 1,860p, buy rating kept; Nomura reiter
Read moreLondon open: Banks, miners provide a lift early on
28th Feb 2012 08:38
- Banks, miners rise strongly. - GKN drops after full-year results. - Persimmon surges after handing back cash to shareholders. The FTSE 100 opened higher on Tuesday, despite a negative reaction to statements from GKN, Whitbread and Serco, as banks and miners rose strongly following yesterday's bac
Read moreLondon pre-open: German agreement boosts sentiment
28th Feb 2012 07:27
City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open up 9 points from yesterday's close of 5,916, with Germany's agreement to the Greek bailout package providing a boost to investor sentiment. In companies, last year was a record breaking year on many fronts for Rotork with the valve engineering group set
Read moreWhitbread reports slowing sales, but Costa resilient - UPDATE
28th Feb 2012 07:05
Whitbread saw both reported sales and like-for-like (LFL) sales slow down in the 11 weeks to February 16th, as strong growth at its Costa coffee shop chain was met with a more subdued performance at its hotels and restaurants. "Following the trend we highlighted in December, industry data has conti
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