‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Mitie profits up 4.3pc despite disposal costs May 19, 2014 MITIE shrugged off the woes of the wider outsourcing sector yesterday by unveiling in-line results for the year, which showed a 5.2 per cent rise in organic revenue growth and a 4.3 per cent rise in pre-tax profit. The FTSE 250-listed outsourcing firm, which holds contracts with a range of organisations including Network Rail, the [...]
Analyst Views: What did you make of Mitie’s full-year results? May 19, 2014 CAROLINE DE LA SOUJEOLE | CANTOR FITZGERALD The headline numbers were broadly in-line with expectations but exceptional items are significantly higher than anticipated which raises questions over the quality of earnings. The shape of the group has changed significantly in recent years, and the business is now operating in more attractive markets. JOE BRENT | [...]
Capita on track for 2014 thanks to flurry of new contract awards May 12, 2014 OUTSOURCING firm Capita said yesterday that it feels confident of achieving growth in line with market expectations this year, after “a strong start to 2014” where it secured £1.1bn of new contracts. The FTSE 100 company was awarded contracts with Transport for London, John Lewis and the Ministry of Defence, with its bid pipeline standing [...]
Best of the Brokers for 12 May 2014 May 11, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com ARROW GLOBAL Numis thinks the debt purchaser could be a big beneficiary of Barclays’ decision to create a “bad bank”, with the potential for big acquisitions across Europe. The broker has upgraded its recommendation from “add” to “buy” and keeps a target price [...]
G4S emerging markets unit boosts growth May 7, 2014 OUTSOURCING firm G4S showed it has begun to rise from the ashes of last year’s scandals yesterday, posting strong revenue growth in emerging markets. The FTSE 100 company, which agreed to repay £108.9m to the UK government in March after overcharging on a criminal-tagging contract, said revenues had grown by 4.8 per cent in the [...]
New Serco boss kicks off with a £160m placing May 1, 2014 RUPERT Soames has started his tenure as head of Serco with a £160m fundraising to avoid a default on the outsourcing firm’s debts. Serco said worsening trading meant it was coming “uncomfortably close” to its leverage ratio limits, prompting the share placing to tide the firm over while Soames works out where to take the [...]
Bottom Line: New broom Soames has a lot to sweep up May 1, 2014 THERE’S nothing like a profit warning and an emergency cash call to kick off your tenure as chief executive of one of the FTSE 250’s most beleaguered groups. That’s what Serco boss Rupert Soames – poached from Aggreko in a major coup for the support services firm – faced yesterday on his first day in [...]
Serco seeks emergency cash as finance chief makes exit April 30, 2014 SERVICES giant Serco announced its intention to raise around £170m yesterday, as Andrew Jenner bows out as the group’s chief financial officer (CFO). The group will place nearly 50m more shares to raise the cash, just shy of 10 per of the firm’s existing share capital. Jenner has been the group’s CFO for 12 years, and [...]
Serco slides as market expects it to warn on 20pc lower profit April 29, 2014 SERCO’S shares plummeted almost 20 per cent yesterday morning and closed 15 per cent lower, after the struggling outsourcer warned a downgrade to profit forecasts and a rights issue may be on the cards. The scandal-tainted FTSE 250 company did not give further details, but analysts at Liberum and Investec forecast a 20 per cent [...]
Serco expected to warn on 20 per cent lower profits April 29, 2014 Serco’s shares plummeted almost 20 per cent this morning and have closed over 15 per cent lower, after the struggling outsourcer warned a downgrade to profit forecasts and a possible rights issue may be on the cards. Former Aggreko boss Rupert Soames takes over as Serco’s chief executive on Thursday, but the appointment of this [...]