magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Joules is an AIM gem
Thursday 08 Jun 2017Our bullish stance on Joules ( JOUL:AIM ) - see Great Ideas, 01 Dec 2016 – has proved an astute call, shares in the premium British lifestyle brand now 62.4% up on our 185p entry price at 300.4p. In a sparkling pre-close trading update (6 June), Joules said full year profit before tax would be ‘...
Director exodus at Genel Energy
Thursday 08 Jun 2017Kurdistan oil producer Genel Energy ( GENL ) is downgraded from ‘speculative buy’ to ‘hold’ by Canaccord Genuity after the departure of several key executives from its board. In April chairman and founder Tony Hayward announced his retirement and non-executive director Chakib Sbiti stepped down. In...
Ocado’s late delivery
Thursday 08 Jun 2017Online supermarket Ocado ( OCDO ) has finally rewarded patient investors with a long-promised deal with an overseas retailer to use its technology platform. However the excitement is tempered by news the new tie-up will be earnings and cash neutral in the current and 2018 financial years, albeit ‘...
Electrocomponents increasingly well placed
Thursday 08 Jun 2017Oxford-based Electrocomponents ( ECM ) is the UK’s largest international industrial distribution company. It operates across 90% of the world’s GDP so is a true global player offering a dizzying array of goods to engineers including tools, safety equipment and semiconductors. 2017’s results to end...
Cyber star rising for Sophos
Thursday 08 Jun 2017Cyber security solutions supplier Sophos ( SOPH ) is expected to grow its corporate billings by 16% this year to 31 March 2018 even if it were to win zero new business. That’s according to analysts at broker Numis Securities. High profile cyber attacks, like the recent WannaCry ransomware event...
Selling pressure on Centrica
Thursday 08 Jun 2017British Gas-owner Centrica ( CNA ) is facing further selling pressure in the coming weeks regardless of the outcome of today’s general election (8 Jun). Energy tariff price caps of some description could squeeze the group’s future earnings and dividends, dragging further on the share price. British...
Mixed signals ahead of UK vote
Thursday 08 Jun 2017There continues to be both good and bad news on the UK economy heading into today’s (8 Jun) general election. A report on 6 June from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation showed demand for staff at a 21-month high. ‘We remain of the view that UK labour demand will remain resilient...
B&M is booming
Thursday 01 Jun 2017Business is booming at cut-price variety retailer B&M European Value Retail ( BME ) , so much so that boss Simon Arora has upgraded his UK store number target for the Sir Terry Leahy-chaired concern. Helping shoppers spend less at a time when retail prices are on the rise, the discounter is set...
IAG grounded on British Airways woes
Thursday 01 Jun 2017Investors considering the prospects of British Airways owner IAG ( IAG ) after the carrier’s flights were grounded by technical issues over the Bank Holiday weekend need to decide if this was a blip or a sign of inherent vulnerabilities in its IT systems. The share price left little margin for...
Intertek can shrug off resources troubles
Thursday 01 Jun 2017FTSE 100 firm Intertek ( ITRK ) , a company that assesses the quality of a vast range of products ranging from shoes to pharmaceuticals, is in a rapid growth phase but the market appears unimpressed. A recent trading update revealed it notched up a 14% rise in revenue to £883.5m for the first four...