Phoenix rises from ashes to the FTSE 250 September 8, 2010 SERIAL entrepreneur Hugh?Osmond has seen his Phoenix Group life insurance consolidation vehicle promoted to the FTSE 250. Phoenix said its £1.2bn market value would make it one of the larger players in the index. In a quarterly rejig, Home Retail Group, Segro and Cable & Wireless Worldwide will drop out of Britain’s FTSE 100 later [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS September 8, 2010 STHREE Seymour Pierce upgraded the recruiter to a “buy” from “outperform” ahead of tomorrow’s trading update, with a target price of 330p. The broker notes SThree’s peers have indicated the jobs market is improving. OCADO Shore Capital maintains a “sell” rating on the grocer, with a target selling price of 157p. The broker says Ocado’s [...]
Ocado sales surge but investors wary September 7, 2010 ONLINE retailer Ocado yesterday said its sales had surged by almost 30 per cent – but investors remained unconvinced and the announcement was greeted with a dip in its share price. The company, which recently completed a controversial flotation, hasn’t made an annual operating profit since it launched ten years ago, but hopes to go [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
THE TIPSTER September 5, 2010 WITH gold trading at $1,246, it feels like it has already had most of its upside factored in. Silver looks much more attractive at $19.72, which is well off its highs of $21.35. WorldSpreads offers a $19.71-19.74 spread. It has been a difficult time for food delivery firm Ocado since its flotation, with shares falling [...]
Jupiter gamble paying off for now August 24, 2010 FUND management group Jupiter defied the odds earlier this year when it pressed ahead with a stock market flotation despite concerns that it was an injudicious time to do so. First there were general worries about market volatility and by June more than 30 companies had already shelved plans to float, including London Eye owner [...]
Pinewood investor ups ante on Grade August 22, 2010 MICHAEL Grade has come under fresh fire for his performance as chairman at Pinewood Studios, with activist investor Crystal Amber calling another meeting at this week’s results announcement to discuss his departure from the firm. “We are meeting with the management team on Wednesday, and are in correspondence with other shareholders,” Crystal Amber chief executive Richard [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING August 18, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES EXXON ABANDONS ITS $4BN BID FOR GHANA OIL STAKE Following months of battle with Accra, ExxonMobil, the world’s biggest western oil company, has given up trying to acquire a share of Ghana’s giant Jubilee oil field from Kosmos, the American oil company. The $4bn deal was heavily opposed by Ghana’s government and its [...]