Broker snap: InterContinental Hotels downgraded
11th Dec 2009 12:44
InterContinental Hotels has shrugged off a downgrade to 'hold' from 'buy' at Panmure Gordon, which thinks the shares are fully valued. The shares are trading very close to the broker's 910p price target following a strong performance in 2009, while Panmure adds that further consensus forecast upgra
Read moreWeek Ahead: Whitbread, Carnival, Kesa
11th Dec 2009 09:42
Hotel and coffee chain group Whitbread is set to issue a third quarter trading update on Monday, and once again the performance of the company's Costa Coffee chain is expected to be a highlight. The company is so enamoured of the coffee business that it is looking to expand in eastern Europe by mea
Read moreThursday newspaper round-up: RBS, Vauxhall, Channel 4
5th Nov 2009 06:05
Senior managers at the Royal Bank of Scotland are scrambling to prevent widespread resignations following the publication of the bank's stringent bonus policy. City headhunters said they have been inundated with CVs from RBS bankers following the news that there would be no cash bonuses for 2009, sa
Read moreBroker tips: Lloyds, National Express, Whitbread
16th Oct 2009 12:24
News of the disposal of its Halifax Estate Agencies sent shares in Lloyds higher Friday, but an upgrade from Deutsche Bank will have done no harm either. The German bank notes that the economy has strengthened, yet shares in Lloyds are 15% below their recent peak. It lifts its recommendation to '
Read moreBroker snap: Charles Stanley lauds Whitbread resilience
16th Oct 2009 12:23
Charles Stanley reiterates its 'accumulate' recommendation on Whitbread after the hotel and coffee shop operator's results demonstrated the resilience of its business model 'in an extremely tough economic environment.' The broker notes that Premier Inn's RevPAR, a measure of revenue per hotel room,
Read moreComment: Whitbread stays cautious on hotel expansion
13th Oct 2009 17:52
Having seen sales at Costa Coffee surge by more than 20% as it continues expanding at the expense of pricier rivals, expanding the coffee chain is surely a no-brainer for owner Whitbread. But at its Premier Inns, which like all hotel groups has been hit hard by the economic downturn, whether to kee
Read moreLondon close: Retailers weigh on Footsie
13th Oct 2009 16:46
A poor performance from US shares dragged Footsie into the red and the leading index finished the day with substantial losses. Retailers were out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growt
Read moreLondon afternoon: Retailers sag after sales data
13th Oct 2009 14:26
Leading shares remain mixed, with the Footsie easing back into the red over the lunchtime session. Retailers are out of sorts despite some moderately optimistic news from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) concerning retail sales. The BRC said annual retail sales growth in September accelerated to
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Lonmin up on Xstrata chatter
13th Oct 2009 13:23
Lonmin has raced to the top of the to FTSE 100 leaderboard on renewed talk that Xstrata drop its bid for Anglo American and turn its attention to the platinum miner. Xstrata already owns ha a 25% stake already following an earlier bid attempt and is likely to find its £3bn market value easier to a
Read moreBroker tips: Whitbread, Bellway, Connaught
13th Oct 2009 13:13
Interim results from Whitbread have generally been well received by the market with the improving trend at the company's Premier Inn hotel business being the most positive aspect. Jonathan Jackson, head of Equities at Killik, is not inclined to change next year's earnings forecasts after the interi
Read moreBroker snap: Encouraging trends at Whitbread
13th Oct 2009 13:10
Interim results from Whitbread have generally been well received by the market with the improving trend at the company's Premier Inn hotel business being the most positive aspect. Jonathan Jackson, head of Equities at Killik, is not inclined to change next year's earnings forecasts after the interi
Read moreLondon midday: Looking for direction
13th Oct 2009 12:14
The Footsie has crawled into positive territory, helped by miners recovering from their weak opening. Kazakhmys is the pick of the sector after revealing it is in talks with the China Development Bank and JSC Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna regarding a potential corporate loan facility of aroun
Read moreLondon open: Footsie in the red
13th Oct 2009 08:35
Stocks have fallen in early trade, with miners aiding the decline and as investors wait nervously for a flood of results from the US. Miners Randgold, Lonmin, Antofagasta and Rio Tinto are lower on weaker metal prices. But Whitbread was hot property, adding more than 3% after it reported an impro
Read moreLondon pre-open: Footsie to drop slightly
13th Oct 2009 07:36
London's top stocks are expected to open slightly lower after finishing at their best levels in over a year Monday. Traders see Footsie drop around 10 points. Whitbread reported a 10.4% drop in first half pre-tax profits but said it is now seeing an improving trend at its budget hotel chain Premier
Read moreWhitbread sees improving trend
13th Oct 2009 07:02
Whitbread reported a 10.4% drop in first half pre-tax profits but said it is now seeing an improving trend at its budget hotel chain Premier Inn. The group, which also owns the Costa Coffee chain, saw profit before tax and exceptional items fall to £110.5m in the six month ended 27 August compared
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