Ashley swoops on Debenhams January 13, 2014 MIKE ASHLEY’S Sports Direct is set to meet with the board of Debenhams after the sportswear giant made a surprise swoop on the struggling retailer and snapped up a 4.6 per cent stake. Neither of the companies commented on when the meeting was likely to take place, but both sides said they were open to [...]
Bottom Line: Sports Direct designs on retailer will pay off January 13, 2014 AMID yesterday’s M&A frenzy, which saw billions of dollars changing hands across the world, Mike Ashley’s move for a £46m stake in Debenhams looks like small fry. But as the inimitable Geordie has proved in the past, he’s not a man to be underestimated. Though not an immediately obvious fit, there are certain parts of [...]
JD Sports enters the New Year with steady sales growth January 10, 2014 JD Sports has reported like-for-like sales for the group's core Fascia stores are now marginally ahead of the 5.8 per cent rise seen in the for the forty two weeks to 23 November. The group believes the most recent six weeks trading has given the company hope for further progress over the course of 2014. [...]
Debenhams remains unloved as hedge funds pile on the pressure January 9, 2014 HEDGE fund bets against Debenhams have increased four- fold since the start of the year led by a short position from Marshall Wace, amid an overall decline in shorting of high street retailers, fresh figures show. About 4.5 per cent of the company’s stock is now out on loan versus 1.5 per cent just a [...]
Best of the Brokers for 7 January 2014 January 6, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com JD SPORTS FASHION N+1 Singer has chosen the sports retailer as one of its 2014 top picks, giving the company a buy rating and a target of 1,700p. The broker thinks the firm could expand in Europe, and has faith the new management [...]
London Report: Retailers set to reveal scale of 2013 hangover January 5, 2014 RETAIL figures due this week will reveal whether Britain’s major brands are going into the New Year with a Christmas hangover. Marks & Spencer and Tesco are both set to report on Thursday, and J Sainsbury on Wednesday, with figures likely to show retailers faced a dismal festive season. Debenhams has already set the tone, [...]
Float fever to shake up FTSE indices in reshuffle December 9, 2013 THE ROYAL Mail could break into the FTSE 100 tomorrow, one of several newly listed companies which are candidates to join the FTSE in its quarterly reshuffle. The postal group is set to knock Vedanta Resources out of the blue chip index after its bumper share price rise since its float made it one of [...]
Best of the Brokers for 02 December 2013 December 1, 2013 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com DAILY MAIL & GENERAL TRUST UBS keeps its “neutral” rating but hikes its target from 780p to 920p following the media group’s full-year results. The broker thinks the strength of the firm’s Zoopla website will continue to drive the share price, even if [...]
JD Sports shares climb as sales continue to rise November 29, 2013 JD Sports saw a 5.8 per cent increase in like-for-like sales between August and November, it said in an interim statement this morning. Shares have risen over five per cent this morning, following the news. The sports retailer had reported the same rise in sales in the 26 weeks to 3 August. The board says [...]
London Report: Water firms to show how well profits flowing November 24, 2013 THE FTSE 100’s latest female executive, Liv Garfield, will get an idea of what she’ll face when she joins Severn Trent next year as her new employer announces interim results, along with Pennon and United Utilities. The three, who have been called on by regulators to stop planned price hikes, are expected to have increased [...]