Company News
London close: FTSE mildly up amid transatlantic caution ahead of Trump speech
Equities in London turned a mildly positive performance ahead of US President Donald Trump's speech before Congress, while US Federal Reserve's interest rate stance was again in focus.
St James's Place hikes dividend as NAV swells
Wealth management group St James’s Place hiked its total dividend 18% as it reported a strong rise in net asset value for 2016, while chief executive David Bellamy is set to retire at the end of the year.
Philip Green stumps up cash to rescue BHS pension fund
Sir Philip Green has agreed to personally pay £363m to rescue the BHS pension scheme from the Pension Protection Fund.
Wednesday preview: Plenty of macro data to crunch
Looking forward to Wednesday, there are many data releases to keep macro watchers interested, while markets may well still be reacting to Donald Trumps much-trumpeted speech due later.
Results round-up: Taylor Wimpey, St James’s Place, Fresnillo, Croda
As it posted largely pre-announced annual results, Taylor Wimpey said it had made a "very good" start to 2017 and suggested the UK housing market will remain supportive for its bumper dividend programme for some time.
Aviva to book £385m charge on Ogden discount rate change
Aviva said it expects to take an exceptional charge to its 2016 IFRS profit after tax of around £385m as a result of the government's cut to the discount rate on personal injury damages payouts.
Dixons Carphone, Capita, EasyJet could be demoted from FTSE 100 in reshuffle
Dixons Carphone is likely to be demoted from the FTSE 100 index as part of the latest quarterly review on Tuesday evening, with Capita and EasyJet close to the drop zone and Intu Properties escaping for another day.
British Land closing in on Cheesegrater sale, Chinese buyer rumoured
British Land confirms that it and its joint venture partner, Oxford Properties, are in advanced discussions regarding the possible sale of their interests in the Leadenhall Building, known as The Cheesegrater.
Netflix denies 'pay-as-you-go' streaming service plans
Streaming service Netflix has rejected reports that it has engaged in talks with mobile operators to introduce a 'pay as you go' option.
IWG full-year profit and revenue up, lifts dividend 13%
Workplace-as-a-service company IWG, formerly Regus, reported a rise in full-year profit and revenue, as it bumped up its dividend by 13%.
Virgin Money FY profit up 33%, lifts dividend
Virgin Money reported a 33% jump in pre-tax profit for 2016 as gross mortgage lending grew and the bank lifted its dividend.
China Nonferrous says avalanche to hit production at Pakrut mine
AIM-listed exploration and mining company China Nonferrous said on Tuesday that high levels of snowfall resulting in an avalanche and landslide have affected progress at its Pakrut gold project in the Republic of Tajikistan.
Interserve shelves dividend but reports underlying profit
Interserve has shelved its dividend following last week's warning that its exiting from the energy-from-waste market would cost more than expected.
Randall & Quilter raises £16.9m in share placing
Non-life insurance and investment specialist Randall & Quilter has conditionally raised gross proceeds of up to £16. 9m through the placing of 14. 4m shares at 117p each, which it plans to use partly to grow its core legacy acquisition activity.
JLT helped by weak pound; see positive outlook in US
Insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson reported a 13% fall in statutory full year pre-tax profits but said the weak pound helped results and the outlook was better for its US operation.
Northern Ireland extends schools contract with Capita
The Northern Ireland Education Authority has extended its contract with Capita to provide ICT services for over 1,100 schools by two years in a deal worth more than £50m.
Old Mutual reports solid Nedbank results, UK IFA acquisition
Old Mutual has reported solid annual results for 54%-owned South African banking subsidiary Nedbank and revealed that its wealth management arm has struck a deal to acquire Manchester-based financial adviser network Caerus Capital Group.
Laird confirms £185m rights issue, posts 30% drop in FY profit
Electronics components maker Laird, whose shares tumbled back in October after a profit warning, has announced a fully-underwritten rights issue to raise around £185m in gross proceeds to reduce its indebtedness.
Tuesday broker round-up
Marks & Spencer: Jefferies upgrades to Buy from Underweight with a target price of 370p.
Taylor Wimpey builds on bumper dividend with 'very strong' start to 2017
As it posted largely pre-announced annual results, Taylor Wimpey said it had made a "very good" start to 2017 and suggested the UK housing market will remain supportive for its bumper dividend programme for some time.