Numis in FTSE 100 client win August 5, 2010 STOCKBROKER Numis Securities yesterday reached a landmark in its development as it won its first FTSE 100 client, investment firm Alliance Trust. Numis, which has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, already has 22 corporate broking clients in the FTSE 250, including property group Savills, Domino’s Pizza and retailer Mothercare. But Alliance Trust is its first [...]
A SUITABLY SPIRITED SENDOFF TO SIR STUART July 14, 2010 WE’LL begin by heading over to the Royal Festival Hall for Marks and Sparks’ annual general meeting, where the usual fun and games were to be had. Hundreds of ageing M&S veterans queued up for the speeches, stage antics and free food and drink, armed with piercing questions for Sir Stuart Rose and his successor, [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS July 13, 2010 CABLE & WIRELESS Morgan Stanley initiates coverage of Cable & Wireless (CWC) at “equal-weight” with a 72p price target. Morgan Stanley said that although it acknowledges that CWC has improved operating performance it sees better upside elsewhere in the sector. Beyond the dividend yield valuation does not look compelling, believes Morgan Stanley. L’OREAL UBS reiterates [...]
Domino’s seessales lift due to World Cup July 12, 2010 DOMINO’S Pizza yesterday reported a 29 per cent increase in first half pretax profit as sales were boosted by the World Cup and the company’s sponsorship of ITV hit Britain’s Got Talent. Domino’s, which operates the British and Irish franchises of the global delivery brand, made a pre-tax profit of £17.5m in the half year [...]
Domino’s seessales lift due to World Cup July 12, 2010 DOMINO’S Pizza yesterday reported a 29 per cent increase in first half pretax profit as sales were boosted by the World Cup and the company’s sponsorship of ITV hit Britain’s Got Talent. Domino’s, which operates the British and Irish franchises of the global delivery brand, made a pre-tax profit of £17.5m in the half year [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS May 27, 2010 SIGNET JEWELERS Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Equity Research has downgraded its rating on Signet Jewelers from “strong buy” to “hold” and said the jeweler continues to shine but there are few short-term catalysts. S&P said that for the shares to move higher, new store roll-outs or a resumption of shareholder payouts would be needed. DOMINO’S [...]
Mid-sized UK firms poised to create profits May 9, 2010 WHO would have thought that the FTSE 250 – often considered a better reflection of the UK economy than the FTSE 100 – would have outperformed the larger index? Even after the swings in the financial markets at the end of last week, the mid-cap 250 index is currently 5 per cent higher than it [...]
Buybacks are back in vogue and stocks will feel the effect April 25, 2010 ONE of the few miracles of this recession is just how well corporate balance sheets have held up. While economic growth has chugged back to life, firms have paid down debt and boosted their cash reserves. So the question is, what will companies do with all of this extra cash? Well, they have already increased [...]
Strong start for Domino’s March 30, 2010 BRITAIN’S biggest pizza delivery chain Domino’s has reported a strong start to 2010 despite bad weather in the early part of the year. The company, which operates the British and Irish franchises of the global home delivery brand, said sales at its 553 stores open for more than a year were up 10.5 per cent [...]
The Tipster March 29, 2010 CONFECTIONER Thorntons is looking forward to the Easter weekend. After a couple of years of austerity amongst consumers, general sentiment does seem to be improving and Thorntons will be hoping for a bumper Easter season. The share price has enjoyed a bounce in recent weeks, but the consensus is that there’s still more sweetness to [...]