ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BELLWAY’S RESULTS? March 30, 2011 MARK HUGHES | PANMURE GORDON The company saw revenues grow in the first-half, as both volumes and average selling prices increased year-on-year. With a positive trend in current trade, we are happy with our full-year forecasts. MICHAEL VASSALLO | BREWIN DOLPHIN Bellway is trading at a larger discount to all in the sector bar Barratt. [...]
Don’t let builders be the only beneficiaries March 28, 2011 Housebuilding companies have rallied since news in last week’s budget that £250m would be made available to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. Dubbed Firstbuy Direct, the scheme will give those below a certain income threshold access to a 25 per cent equity loan to cover the deposit on a new home. [...]
THE TIPSTER February 27, 2011 FTSE 250 house builder Barratt Developments released a statement that sales have been strong since the start of the year, and losses amounted to £4.6m compared to £178m losses last year. The firm has cut its net debt by 11 per cent to £537m. It is forecast to fall to £400m within a few months. [...]
Barratt upbeat on house sales February 24, 2011 Housebuilder Barratt Developments said sales had picked up since the start of the year, as it posted losses of £4.6m – down from a £178m loss a year ago as the recession hammered house sales. Barratt said that while the tough mortgage market continued to dampen its trading figures, the firm’s focus on prices rather [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS January 18, 2011 Fuller, Smith & Turner The brewer has appointed Lynn Fordham, chief executive of FTSE 250 private investment manager SVG Capital, to its board as a non-executive director. She will join both the remuneration and audit committees in addition to her seat on the board. Fordham has previously held senior financial, strategic and operational roles at [...]
Bullish corporate results bolster FTSE January 18, 2011 THE FTSE rose healthily today and though it gave back some of the gains in the afternoon it closed in the black, up 1.18 per cent or 65.10 to 6,050.80. Banks boosted trading as conditions in the eurozone continued to stabilise, while Burberry was in demand after releasing excellent third-quarter results that showed revenues rose [...]
Barratt sales hurt by lack of mortgages January 12, 2011 HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Develop-ments said sales fell 4.4 per cent in the last six months of the year, a loss the company pinned partly on the lack of mortgage lending. Chief executive Mark Clare said house sales during autumn were disappointing, as potential customers were also deterred by the government’s spending review and later by the [...]
Analyst views: How can Barratt build on yesterday’s trading update? January 12, 2011 CHRIS MILLINGTON | NUMIS SECURITIES We are expecting a much better six months ahead, with more points of sale and improved margins. Barratt isn’t massively out of step with other property firms. LUCIAN COOK | SAVILLS Barratt is right to be cautious, as we continue to see a lower transaction market. Its efforts with Hitachi [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS January 11, 2011 BARRATT DEVELOPMENTS Panmure Gordon rates the housebuilder “buy” at a 147p target price as it believes the stock is the lowest-valued in the sector. It says Barratt has improved its operating performance, reduced costs and improved the quality of its offering since 2007, and the broker expects Barratt’s share price to rise to reflect this [...]
THE TIPSTER January 10, 2011 THE share price of Tullow Oil continues to eye the £14 mark, a move that would take the stock to fresh all-time highs. Buoyant crude prices are doubtless helping the sector as a whole but with some recent positive drilling updates having also been seen, the company is certainly starting the new year on the [...]