Welcome to the week ahead, our summary of the forthcoming key company announcements. Companies are no longer obliged to notify the London Stock Exchange (LSE) of results and trading updates, so this list does not claim to be comprehensive. You can read company announcements at http://announce.ft.com and our daily online …
Read More »Companies roundup: Royal Mail and BP under scrutiny
Wag Payment Solutions (WPS) sells fleet management software to trucking companies. A concern from an investment angle is that the haulage industry is particularly cyclical, so the slowdown in European economies will limit Wag’s growth this year. But there is now also a concern linked to rising debt, with the leverage …
Read More »Companies roundup: Sainsbury’s takeover and Direct Line departures
Potential takeover of Sainsbury’s Some unexpected share buying activity has raised the prospect of a takeover of J Sainsbury (SBRY). Wholesaler Bestway has acquired 81mn shares in the supermarket, which represents 3.45 per cent of its total share capital. The Costcutter owner said that “it is not considering an offer …
Read More »Today’s Markets: Cautious trade ahead of major central bank fortnight
Companies Vodafone boss resigns Vodafone (VOD) chief executive Nick Read has resigned after four years in the job, after the telecoms giant downgraded its full-year profit and cash flow guidance last month. CFO Margherita Della Valle will take over as interim boss once Read leaves at the end of December. …
Read More »International Distributions sags as Royal Mail tumbles into loss
Operating costs haven’t budged More strikes planned for November The parent company of Royal Mail has blamed weak parcel volumes, strike action and faltering productivity for a hefty operating loss, and has repeated plans to cut 5,000 full-time roles by next spring. Revenue at International Distributions Services (IDS) only decreased …
Read More »Today’s Markets: Hunt torches Trussonomics
Companies Massive savings but uncertainty ahead as energy cap limited to six months The government will be hoping that gas prices stay subdued despite months of warnings of winter shortages, after it cut back the scope of the energy price cap significantly. New chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the policy would …
Read More »Royal Mail braced for £350mn loss
Up to 6,000 redundancies expected Strikes blamed for rising losses Royal Mail has warned that it could swing to a loss of up to £450mn and be forced to axe as many as 10,000 jobs, in response to “damaging” industrial action. The postal service – which has reinvented itself as …
Read More »Royal Mail: new name incoming but same woes remain
Royal Mail is losing £1mn per day Parcel and letter volumes are falling Royal Mail’s (RMG) latest trading update is a litany of woes. Divisional revenue is down by 11.5 per cent, its cost saving plan has stalled, it is losing £1mn a day, retail trends are weakening, and parcel …
Read More »Ask why the dividend yield is high
Large cap high yielders have red flags Mid cap screen shows up some interesting ideas Our large-cap dividend screen is not easy to navigate for income investors right now. The top two companies are, same as last month, Royal Mail Group (RMG) and 3i Group (III). The first is a …
Read More »Week ahead: 18 – 22 July
Welcome to the week ahead, our summary of the forthcoming key company announcements. Companies are no longer obliged to notify the London Stock Exchange (LSE) of results and trading updates, so this list does not claim to be comprehensive. You can read company announcements at http://announce.ft.com and our daily online …
Read More »