The FTSE 100 has a muted start Thursday after a strong finish
Wednesday, as worries over the spread of the Delta coronavirus
variant subside.
"Concern that rising Delta infections might slow down the
economic rebound, appear to have been put to one side for now,
after a day of positive trading updates that showed companies might
be able to meet full year expectations on revenues and profits
after all," CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said. Thursday's
agenda includes another round of corporate trading statements and
results, along with the European Central Bank's policy decision at
1145 GMT.
Companies News:
3i Group 1Q Net Asset Value Per Share Rose
3i Group PLC said Thursday that its net asset value per share
totaled 1,063 pence (1,458 U.S. cents) at the end of the first
quarter of fiscal 2022, up from 947.0 pence in the previous
quarter.
---
Hiscox CEO Bronek Masojada to Retire At End of Year; Aki Hussain
Named
Hiscox Ltd. said Thursday that Chief Executive Officer Bronek
Masojada plans to retire at the end of the year after 21 years in
the role and will be replaced by Aki Hussain, subject to regulatory
approval.
---
UK Government to Sell Part of NatWest Stake Over Next Year
U.K. Government Investments Ltd. said Thursday that it intends
to sell part of its shareholding in NatWest Group PLC over the
course of a year through a pre-arranged trading plan.
---
Centrica Swung to 1H Pretax Profit, But Ebitda Fell
Centrica PLC on Thursday reported a profit for the first half of
2021 driven by one-offs.
---
SSE Says Disposal Program Has Made Good Progress, On Track to
Get More Than GBP2 Bln
SSE PLC said Thursday that it has made good progress in its
disposal program, and that it is on course to get more than 2
billion pounds ($2.74 billion) from the sale of noncore assets and
businesses not in line with its net zero strategy.
---
Moneysupermarket.com 1H Pretax Profit, Revenue Fell
Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC said Thursday that pretax profit
fell in the first half of 2021 as its markets continue to recover
from the coronavirus pandemic, but it expects to meet full-year
market views.
---
FirstGroup to Return GBP500 Mln to Shareholders Following Sale
of US Bus Operations
FirstGroup PLC said Thursday that it will now return 500 million
pounds ($685.8 million) to shareholders--or 41 pence a
share--following the sale of its U.S. bus operations, more than
initially planned.
---
Daily Mail & General Trust 3Q Underlying Revenue Rose
Daily Mail & General Trust PLC said Thursday that revenue
for its third quarter rose sharply, reflecting a particularly
challenging year-earlier period due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
---
Countryside Properties 3Q Completions More than Doubled
Countryside Properties PLC said Thursday that its third quarter
sales more than doubled from the previous year.
---
AJ Bell 3Q Assets Under Administration Rose
AJ Bell PLC said Thursday that total assets under administration
for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 rose, and that it was well
placed to deliver further growth across its platform.
---
Unilever 1H Pretax Profit Fell Slightly -- Update
Unilever PLC on Thursday reported a slight fall in pretax profit
for the first half of the year and said it expects to meet its
multi-year framework for revenue growth in 2021 as a whole despite
tougher comparatives.
---
Britvic 3Q Revenue Boosted by Easing Covid-19 Restrictions
Britvic PLC said Thursday that revenue in the third quarter of
fiscal 2021 rose as all business units achieved good progress amid
reopenings in the U.K.
---
LoopUp Group Warns of 1H Revenue Shortfall; Sees Return to
Growth in 2H
LoopUp Group PLC said Thursday that revenue for the first half
of 2021 is expected to miss management's forecasts, but that it
anticipates a return to top-line monthly growth during the second
half of the year.
---
PensionBee Group Assets Under Management More Than Doubled in
Year
PensionBee Group PLC said Thursday that assets under management
have more than doubled over the year due to strong net flows from
new and existing customers.
---
Centamin 2Q Revenue Fell 7% on Quarter as Gold Production, Sales
Declined
Centamin PLC said Thursday that its second-quarter revenue and
gold production fell from the first quarter, and reaffirmed
full-year guidance.
---
Xaar 1H Results Affected by Non-Cash Adjustments
Xaar PLC said on Thursday that its results for the first half
have been affected by non-cash adjustments relating to slow-moving
and obsolete inventory after it implemented planned process
improvement and strategy actions.
---
Workspace Group 1Q Demand Rose to Pre-Covid-19 Levels
Workspace Group PLC said Thursday that customer demand recovered
during the first quarter of fiscal 2022 to pre-Covid-19 levels,
with enquiries, lettings and occupancy all up on year.
---
Howden Joinery Swung to 1H Profit on Higher Revenue
Howden Joinery Group PLC on Thursday reported a swing to pretax
profit for the first half of fiscal 2021 on sharp revenue
growth.
Market Talk:
Future PLC Could Make Further Guidance Upgrades After Goco
Integration
Future PLC has more to go after raising guidance for fiscal 2021
once again, and progress in integrating its Goco acquisition means
management is likely to upgrade sales and margin for the business,
Berenberg says. The U.K. media group's media division is also doing
well, with strong performances in advertising and e-commerce,
Berenberg says. Going forward, tightening privacy restrictions from
Google and Apple make Future's large publishing network, audience
and pool of first-party data increasingly valuable, analysts at the
brokerage say. Berenberg lifts its target price on Future shares to
4,180 pence from 3,140 pence.
Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires;
+44-20-7842-931
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 22, 2021 03:28 ET (07:28 GMT)
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