St James’s Place eyes up Asian business as profits jump February 25, 2014 Wealth management group St James’s Place has announced a 42 per cent increase in profit before shareholder tax to £190.7m in 2013. The FTSE 250 firm saw total new single investment rise 22 per cent to £7.2bn, with funds under management up 27 per cent to £44.3bn. It said its full-year dividend increased 50 per [...]
Persimmon profits more than double on booming demand February 25, 2014 Another house builder riding the wave of surging demand. Following bumper results from Bovis yesterday, Persimmon has said this morning that its profit before tax more than doubled in 2013. The 54.5 per cent increase to £337.1m came about as the group “responded quickly” to growing customer demand, outperforming its original long term plan. Chairman Nicolas [...]
Bunzl soars as spending spree boosts earnings February 24, 2014 SHARES in Bunzl soared nearly seven per cent yesterday, after the distribution and outsourcing group unveiled full-year results that beat expectations and new acquisitions. The FTSE 100-quoted firm posted adjusted earnings per share of 82.4p in 2013, which was five per cent above market forecasts and a 15 per cent increase on 2012. The dividend [...]
Merlin to bring Shrek and Friends attraction to London February 24, 2014 Themepark company Merlin Entertainments and animation studio DreamWorks have announced the launch of a new "Shrek's Far Far Away Adventure" attraction. Based on the animated films, the attraction will join Merlin's five other brands – Legoland, Madame Tussaunds, Sea Life, The Dungeons, and The Eye. Shrek's universe is the most successful animated franchise of all [...]
Rolls Royce bags $90m US Marine Corps engine contract February 24, 2014 Rolls Royce has said this morning that it’s won a $90m (£54m) production contract for engines to power MV-22 aircraft operated by the US Marine Corps. The defence company will provide 40 Rolls Royce AE 1107C engines, which it’ll manufacture in Indianapolis, Indiana. The AE product family has over 5,800 engines in service, with the [...]
Bovis Homes profits soar in wake of housing boom February 24, 2014 House builder Bovis Homes has reported a surge in profit before tax of 48 per cent to £78.8m for the year to 31 December. The company said the rise in profits reflected the group's growth strategy. Bovis reported a 14 per cent increase in average sales price to £195,100 and attributed the increase to a [...]
Centrica bosses defend firm as profits decline February 20, 2014 CENTRICA executives yesterday emphasised the benefits of the company’s size to Britain in the wake of energy secretary Ed Davey’s suggestion to break up the power giant, as it unveiled disappointing but in-line full-year results. “The benefit of integration is that because we have the size and scale we have we are able to contract [...]
Rathbone boss leaves on a high as assets tick up February 20, 2014 WEALTH manager Rathbone Brothers ushered in a new era yesterday after long standing boss Andy Pomfret handed the reins over to the company’s new chief executive, as it reported double digit asset growth for last year. Pomfret, who has been an executive at the company for 15 years, leaves the business next Friday to be [...]
BAE slides as it warns on profit for a third year February 20, 2014 SHARES in BAE Systems plummeted yesterday, after the FTSE 100-listed defence giant warned that earnings would be lower this year due to US budget cuts and delays to finalising a Saudi jets deal. “Following last year’s non-recurring benefit from the Salam price escalation settlement, together with continuing US budget pressures, the group’s reported earnings per [...]
Petra Diamonds chief predicts buoyant demand from China February 20, 2014 THE CHIEF executive of Petra Diamonds yesterday shrugged off concerns of a growth slowdown in China to predict increased demand for diamonds from the world’s second largest economy, as the FTSE 250-quoted miner unveiled solid first-half results. “Growth is being redirected from high levels of infrastructure spend to a consumer-type economy,” Johan Dippenaar told City [...]