News And Announcements
Tobacco stocks fall as FDA cracks down on ecig flavours
Tobacco stocks tumbled on Wall Street after US regulators announced new restrictions on flavoured electronic cigarettes and potential bans on menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars.
Walmart sales beat forecasts, helped by Asda
Walmart turned in a stronger-than-expected set of sales figures ahead of the all-important holiday season, leading the retailer to boost its full-year outlook and put rival Amazon on notice.
Capita shares tank after NHS cancer screening blunder
Capita shares tumbled a day after it emerged that the company had failed to deliver thousands of cervical cancer screening letters to patients as part of a contract with NHS England.
Bellzone Mining says it could go bust if it doesn't secure fresh funding
AIM-listed Bellzone Mining said on Thursday that it could go bust if it's not able to secure fresh funding soon.
Learning Technologies buys rest of Watershed, ups medium-term goals
Integrated digital learning and talent management provider Learning Technologies Group announced the acquisition of the remaining 70% of Watershed Systems on Thursday.
MC Mining subsidiary agrees terms to buy two properties at Makhado
MC Mining announced on Thursday that its subsidiary, Baobab Mining & Exploration, has reached agreement on the terms and conditions under which it would acquire the two key properties required for its Makhado hard coking and thermal coal project.
Jason Kingdon steps down as Blue Prism chair
Robotic process automation company Blue Prism announced on Thursday that, after 10 years, Jason Kingdon had informed the board of his intention to step down as chairman and as a member of the board in 2019, in order to focus more on his other technology start-up commitments.
St Modwen sells £82m of retail assets
Real estate investment outfit St Modwen Properties disposed of three retail assets on Thursday, collecting more than 3% above the properties' book value in the process.
Caledonia Investments woos new CFO Tim Livett from Wellcome Trust
Caledonia Investments announced on Thursday that it has appointed Tim Livett as its chief financial officer, with effect from 12 March next year.
Investec pleased with performance amid global turmoil
Investec issued its unaudited combined consolidated financial results for the six months ended 30 September on Thursday, reporting a “sound” operational performance.
Safestore Q4 revenue rises amid strong UK performance
Self-storage provider Safestore posted an 11. 3% rise in fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday as occupancy increased and the company sounded an upbeat note on the outlook.
Genus profits hurt by African Swine Fever; beef prices recover
Genus on Thursday reported lower adjusted pre-tax profits for the four months to end October as it the African Swine Fever outbreak in China hit the animal genetics company.
Spirax-Sarco maintains progress amid decent market growth
Steam, electrical thermal energy and peristaltic pumping solutions provider Spirax-Sarco Engineering updated the market on its trading for the period ended 31 October on Thursday, reporting that the global macro-economic environment for the group remained “positive”.
Revenue improves but profit falls as expected at QinetiQ
QinetiQ Group reported positive strategic progress in its interim results on Thursday, with revenue growing to £420. 3m in the six months ended 30 September, from £392. 5m in the same period last year.
Great Portland to launch £200m buyback as profits rise
Great Portland Estates announced plans on Thursday to buy back up to £200m of shares over the next 12 months as it posted a rise in first-half pre-tax profit.
Premier Oil operationally on-track ahead of year-end
Premier Oil updated the market on its trading and operations for the year-to-date on Thursday, reporting production so far of 78. 4 kboepd, up from 76. 2 kboepd in the first half.
Cairn Energy reports mixed news from North Sea projects
Cairn Energy announced an oil discovery on the 9/14a-17B well and associated side-track on the Agar-Plantain Prospect in the UK North Sea on Thursday, as well as a farm-out agreement for a 40% non-operated interest of the Chimera prospect in the UK North Sea.
GVC avoids £700m payment for Ladbrokes takeover
GVC Holdings avoided paying almost an extra £700m for its acquisition of Ladbrokes after the government issued a new ruling on the UK fixed-odds betting machines.
Mediclinic losses widen on weak Swiss performance
Private hospital group Mediclinic posted a widening of its interim losses on Thursday on the back of a weak performance in Switzerland.