THE TIPSTER ROCKY ROAD PAVED WITH CHOCOLATE HEAVEN
CHOCOLATIER Thorntons will be hoping it can keep investors sweet, when it releases its latest update this week. Its Christmas update provided little cheer, and it is somewhat hard to believe that the market for slightly upmarket chocolates has improved in any way during the post-Christmas season – even if some Britons might have turned to chocolate as solace from the bleakness of January. The company’s main hope will have to be Easter and the traditional splurge on chocolate eggs and rabbits. Thorntons can only hope that it avoids meltdown in the meantime. IG Index’s price for Thorntons is 15.46p-16.04p.
Domino’s Pizza will announce preliminary results tomorrow. Taking into account the fact that the company gave a quick in-line update in early January, it’s unlikely there will be any surprises here. Pre-tax profit figures will be more or less in line with guidance around £42m. Like-for-like sales are expected to show decline. CMC Markets quotes 478.24p-479.23p.
Sports Direct reports earnings tomorrow and it is expected to show it is on track for continued growth. The shares are running strong this year, scoring an impressive 22 per cent gain year-to-date. There is a hurdle ahead at 264p, which held it in 2011, but once clear of that the next target is its flotation price of 300p. Spread Co quotes 59.83p-260.63p.
Barclays was one of Friday’s biggest movers, after the banking giant released its full-year earnings for 2011. The investment banking division disappointed, but the share price recovered strongly from an initial pull-back. Its balance sheet is stronger than many of its peers and Barclays should benefit from any recovery in the Eurozone. The shares are hovering around the 50 per cent retracement of the February-September 2011 sell-off at 237p. GFT quotes 238.0p-238.3p.