magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Five stars for InterContinental
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Shareholder returns have been phenomenal at InterContinental Hotels ( IHG ) . The Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn operator says it has returned $12.8bn since 2003, nearly $5bn of which has come from underlying operations. The company has lifted its total dividend for 2016’s financial year by 11% and...
HSBC falls long way short of expectations
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Giant banking firm HSBC ( HSBA ) is in the doghouse after delivering a 62% year-on-year decline in 2016 profit thanks to a number of one-off items. The $7.1bn figure is a long way short of the $14bn expected by analysts. Recent top-line trends do not look too encouraging either with $11bn of...
Is RBS poised for return to dividend list?
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Analysts believe Royal Bank of Scotland’s ( RBS ) u-turn over the sale of Williams & Glyn (W&G) could accelerate the return of dividends by the bank. Long-suffering RBS shareholders have not received a dividend since the business was rescued by a government bail-out in 2008, during the...
Bovis puts quality before growth
Thursday 23 Feb 2017We regularly warn investors that growth for its own sake is not a valid corporate strategy so Bovis Homes’ ( BVS ) plan to dial back volumes to address customer service and construction issues should be applauded. Under interim chief executive Earl Sibley the housebuilder is hitting the reset...
Expect further bad news from Interserve
Thursday 23 Feb 2017Interserve’s ( IRV ) problems keep getting worse; and there could be more bad news to come. Its share price is down 30% in the past month and we see scope for further downside in the near future. Avoid at 233.25p. The support services group was sacked by waste provider Viridor in November 2016 for...
The emerging markets investment opportunity
Thursday 16 Feb 2017Several fund managers and analysts are pointing out opportunities in emerging markets being missed by many investors Donald Trump’s presidential victory sparked worries for emerging markets investors because he had pledged to protect American interests and renegotiate the terms of international...
Rolls-Royce’s big loss is no surprise
Thursday 16 Feb 2017Shares in Rolls-Royce (RR. ) fell earlier this week after posting the biggest loss in its history for 2016. We believe the market will soon focus on the future. The £4.6bn loss encompassed a £4.4bn hit from weak sterling and a £671m fine to settle bribery charges. Underlying profit at £813m was...
Learn from DX’s dividend disaster
Thursday 16 Feb 2017Parcel delivery business DX ( DX.:AIM ) says it will not pay dividends for the foreseeable future after issuing yet another profit warning (7 Feb). The news is a reminder not to trust super high dividend yields; in the vast majority of cases this is the market rightly guessing a dividend will be...
Record period for M&A
Thursday 16 Feb 2017January 2017 saw the strongest start to a year on record in terms of mergers and acquisitions activity, according to Mergermarket. The financial information group says there were 1,137 deals in the month worth £254.5bn – which is 58.8% higher than January 2016. The consumer sector accounted for a...
New fund will take stakes in depressed oil stocks
Thursday 16 Feb 2017A new investment trust is being launched which will allow you to gain diversified exposure to the small cap oil and gas space. Guinness Oil & Gas Exploration Trust is set to commence trading on the Main Market on 27 February. It hopes to raise between £30m and £100m. The funds will be used to...