There is nothing wrong with insulation materials group SIG, indeed it is clearly a very well run group, but if the shares cannot improve significantly on yesterday's announcement of a 10% profit hike, it is unlikely they will be boosted by anything else in the short term. Cautious hold says the Independent.
Huntsworth, which runs communications businesses in the financial, healthcare and public affairs sectors, did not need to spin anything yesterday when it posted its interim results, showing pre-tax profits were up 21.9% to £12.2m. Huntsworth would be a nailed-on buy if it were not for the fact that the shares did not react well to yesterday's numbers. Cautious investors may think they have missed the boat. Hold for now says the Independent.
Monitise is a company that provides the infrastructure to allow the banks to send an automated text message telling us we are about to run out of cash. Losses are still high, but there is clearly an appetite for Monitise's products, which is likely to grow. Furthermore, the group has no debt and growing revenue, which could lead to a market price-busting bid. Buy says the Independent.
Although biotech Prostrakan is still loss-making, the management expects to turn a profit for the first time next year, with 2010 the company’s first profitable full year. It aims to achieve this by selling a new portfolio of medicines in the US, the most lucrative pharmaceuticals market, starting later this year. Abstral, which treats pain from chemotherapy, is one of several drugs tipped as potential $100m sellers. Prostrakan is a relatively defensive stock in a volatile sector. Buy at 100p says the Times.
Underwriter Amlin's first half investment returns were hit by the storms that have lashed financial markets this year, while the company also had to pay out for natural disasters including the Chinese earthquake, floods in the American Midwest and the US tornados. Amlin chief Charles Philipps admits that profitability is likely to come down because of the upheaval in the financial markets. Hold says the Times.
Anyone who has been to the cinema recently will admit it has been a pretty poor summer for blockbusters. For cinema operator Cineworld, the second half should be helped by recent release The Dark Knight and the ridiculously named new Bond film Quantum of Solace. Cineworld also claims that the allure of film continues throughout a slowdown as consumers seek a little escapism. Risky, but buy says the Telegraph.
Newspaper distributor and aviation services group John Menzies shares have fallen by about 40% in the year to date, giving the group an attractive valuation, while the stock's dividend yield of more than 7% is 1.7 times covered. Nevertheless, with downward pressure remaining, the shares are still best avoided for now says the Telegraph.
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