magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Conygar sells property portfolio
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Conygar Investment Company ( CIC:AIM ) is set to sell its property portfolio to Regional Commercial Midco for £129.8m. Assuming it goes through, the deal would leave the company in a debt-free position and with the capacity to invest in its development assets. The pipeline includes a mix of leisure...
Gleeson not reliant on giveaways
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Budget housebuilder MJ Gleeson ( GLE ) could interest investors looking for exposure to the sector but nervous about an overheated property market. The dividend was hiked 44% at the half-year stage to 6.5p as increased cash flow helps bolster the balance sheet and the company signaled its...
Stocks to watch as Scottish vote talk returns
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Sterling is under renewed pressure amid speculation Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon will trigger another independence referendum in 2018. Reports suggest her English counterpart Theresa May is preparing for another vote amid anger north of the border over May’s hard Brexit stance, including...
Moneysupermarket margin concerns
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Full year results (28 Feb) from price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com ( MONY ) reveal pressure on margins and revenue behind 2016 levels in the first two months of 2017. The shares were punished heavily on the news. Liberum analyst Ian Whittaker says his key fear about the stock, that...
New ruling could lower insurers’ dividends
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Motor insurers are in the doldrums following worse than expected changes to the way personal injury claims are calculated. Analysts now believe the likes of Admiral ( ADM ) and Direct Line ( DLG ) will no longer pay special dividends which have previously made them firm favourites with income...
Is Woodford set for a u-turn on banks?
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Britain’s most famous fund manager Neil Woodford is not ruling out banks for his soon-to-launch CF Woodford Income Focus fund, despite previously having a negative view on the sector. Interestingly, the notorious bank bear has been quoted as saying ‘I think banks are more investable than they have...
£300m glass ceiling
Thursday 02 Mar 2017Analysts remain sceptical that new broadcast rights for ‘live’ Champions League football in the UK through 2018-2021 will fetch a significant premium on last time. BT ( BT.A ) currently screens the competition exclusively via a record £299m per season deal with governing body UEFA. Preliminary bids...
Ditch Coca-Cola HBC
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Sell into the share price recovery at leading Coke brands bottler Coca-Cola HBC ( CCH ) . Impressive 2016 results (16 Feb) have sustained the rally for now, although the 2017 outlook for the drinks group’s territories remains mixed. Full year results showed a 90 basis point EBIT margin improvement...
Inmarsat dividend to return to earth
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Shareholders in Inmarsat ( ISAT ) could face a payout freeze as the company grapples with investing for long-term growth versus bumpy free cash flow. The satellites network operator has increased its dividend payment by more than 4% in each of the past five years, with double-digit increases in two...
Laura Ashley looks vulnerable
Thursday 23 Feb 2017A savage profit warning from Laura Ashley ( ALY ) shows investors were right to be concerned about the potential impact of Brexit on purchases. The fashion-to-homewares seller’s poor half year results revealed sharp UK like-for-like sales declines in the furniture category, as well as in decorating...