Ocado September 7, 2010 OCADO chiefs were yesterday upbeat about the company’s prospects and had seemingly justifiable reasons for optimism with an almost 30 per cent sales hike. But the figures cannot be looked at in isolation and come on the back of a torrid flotation which saw chief executive Tim Steiner and crew pitched against some analysts who [...]
Ocado sales surge by 30pc after flotation September 7, 2010 ONLINE grocer Ocado reported a 30 per cent jump in third-quarter sales as it seeks to boost confidence in the business following a turbulent initial public offering (IPO) in July. Ocado, whose shares are trading 13 per cent below an IPO price which had already been cut by almost a quarter from the company’s original [...]
Food inflation to benefit UK supermarkets September 6, 2010 UPWARD pressures on food prices appear to be here to stay. Global demand is increasing while droughts and fires last month hit harvests in Russia and Ukraine. Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel anticipates that UK grocery inflation will rise to an annualised 4 per cent by the end of 2010 from its current rate of 2 [...]
DO YOU THINK MORRISONS’ SHARE PRICE WILL RISE FURTHER AND IF SO WHY? September 6, 2010 JAMES MONRO | S&P EQUITY RESEARCH The share price is likely to stay flat, although it could edge slightly up. Our target is 315p over the next year. The management is not expected to announce much at the interim results, which may disappoint investors. KEITH BOWMAN | HARGREAVES LANSDOWN The consensus is that Morrisons’ shares [...]
Morrison to offer internet sales September 5, 2010 Dalton Philips, the new chief executive at supermarket Wm Morrison, will use his first big presentation to the City to unveil plans to move into online grocery shopping this Thursday. The announcement will be part of the firm’s half-year results. Analysts have predicted a pre-tax profit of around £400m, a rise of 10 per cent [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS September 5, 2010 BAE SYSTEMS Execution Noble retains a “hold” rating on the defence giant, with a fair value price of 325p. The broker has looked at the possible outcomes of the UK strategic defence review out in October, and believes the firm will see EPS rise once the spending cuts are made public. WM MORRISON Seymour Pierce [...]
WM Morrison to start selling groceries online September 2, 2010 WM MORRISON, Britain’s fourth largest supermarket chain, is expected to announce next week that it will start selling groceries online. According to the Financial Times, the retailer’s newly appointed chief executive Dalton Philips is set to make his business plan for Morrison’s future, including offering groceries online to its customers, public next week. In his [...]
FTSE begins to recoup losses as miners and banks advance August 26, 2010 BRITAIN’S top share index rose yesterday, boosted by a rebound in commodity stocks and helped by better-than-expected economic data from the US. The FTSE 100 closed up 46.44 points, or 0.9 per cent, at 5,155.84, as London’s blue chips rallied from a seven-week closing low on Wednesday. Weekly jobless claims in the United States declined [...]
Swannell set to win M&S chairmanship August 22, 2010 ROBERT SWANNELL, the veteran investment banker and HMV boss, is expected to be confirmed as Sir Stuart Rose’s replacement at the chair of Marks & Spencer this week. Swannell spent the weekend thrashing out an agreement with M&S, friends said, and while his appointment was not sealed last night he is understood to be in [...]
More steam left in the bond rally August 22, 2010 IT’S A case of how low they can go for bond yields. After another week marked by disappointing jobs and manufacturing data in the US, investors ploughed into the relative safety of government debt, pushing yields to record lows. But is this an opportunity for spread betters? While it’s true that bonds have been in [...]