magazine archive
magazine archive
Larger Companies
Sage confident ahead of new test
Thursday 08 Dec 2016FTSE 100 software supplier Sage ( SGE ) remains convinced it can accelerate its pace of growth in the face of stiff competition. The past 12 months were largely about transitioning many of the company’s thousands of small and medium-sized enterprise clients into the cloud. The next 12 months will...
Imperial is pick of the bunch
Thursday 01 Dec 2016Invesco Perpetual’s star UK stock picker Mark Barnett says Imperial Brands ( IMB ) is the pick of the London-listed tobacco stocks at present – and you can see why. Imperial trades on a September 2017 price-to-earnings ratio of 12 according to analyst forecasts – astonishing for a high quality mega...
Festive season key for Royal Mail
Thursday 24 Nov 2016Half-year results at Royal Mail ( RMG ) were a little softer than expected but the UK’s market-leading mail service still looks like a winner to us. Adjusted operating profit, a measure of Royal Mail’s underlying business profitability, fell 5% to £262m in the six months to 25 September as revenues...
Burberry’s earnings set for major boost
Thursday 17 Nov 2016Luxury retailer Burberry ( BRBY ) has been a favourite of Shares since the Brexit vote because it boasts stunning profit sensitivity to the sterling exchange rate. Results at the half-year stage proved this to be the case, with further benefits expected in 2017 if sterling remains around current...
Morrisons has momentum
Thursday 10 Nov 2016WM Morrison Supermarkets’ ( MRW ) impressive turnaround continues under chief executive David Potts’ Fix, Rebuild and Gro w strategy. It recently reported a forecast-beating 1.6% growth in like-for-like sales (ex-fuel) for the 13 weeks to 30 October. This represented a fourth quarter of like-for-...
RELX and enjoy benefits as publisher scales up
Thursday 03 Nov 2016Specialist publisher RELX ( REL ) is on an accelerated growth track and investors should get on board with this quality company. Recent third quarter numbers (27 Oct) confirm the upwards trajectory. The company posted underlying revenue growth of 4% in the first nine months of the year. It is...
All rise for Reckitt
Thursday 27 Oct 2016A pull-back at consumer products colossus Reckitt Benckiser ( RB. ) following a disappointing third quarter update (19 Oct) presents a buying opportunity. With slower end markets and a South Korean humidifier sanitiser issue hogging headlines, it is easy to overlook the fact that earnings per share...
BAE hits the bullseye on fattened military budgets
Thursday 20 Oct 2016Global defence company BAE Systems ( BA. ) is a rare beast. It is one of the few stocks yielding more than 4% which also has a track record of consistent dividend growth. Improving cash flow, a growing order book and recovering end markets are all reasons to be positive on the stock. Clear...
Use gold price dip to buy top quality miners
Thursday 13 Oct 2016This year’s impressive gold price rally has gone into reverse with the precious metal at $1,253 per ounce now trading at a four-month low. We don’t think it will stay down for long. Now is a good opportunity to pick up gold mining shares at a more attractive level than earlier this year. We like...
What oil price rise means for Shell and BP dividends
Thursday 06 Oct 2016Oil producers’ cartel OPEC’s surprise decision on 28 September 2016 to cut production has given a boost to the commodity price and to natural resource companies. In particular, shares in oil producers BP ( BP. ) and Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSB ) are moving upwards as investors feel more confident in...