U.K. Bank Shares Rise After Removal of Dividend Curbs

UK Bank Shares Rise After Removal of Dividend Curbs

0839 GMT - Shares in U.K. banks rise after the Bank of England reportedly removed restrictions on dividends and share buybacks introduced during the coronavirus pandemic. The move lifts uncertainty on the sector and also is a recognition that the industry is on a reasonably solid footing, AJ Bell says. "This news may feed expectations that the likes of Lloyds, Barclays and NatWest can emulate the recent actions of their American cousins and sanction super-sized shareholder returns by releasing excess capital build-up through the course of the coronavirus crisis," says AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson. "However, some protections are being kept in place." Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, HSBC and Barclays are all among the biggest FTSE 100 risers. ([e-mail])

 
Companies News: 

British Land Sees Improvement as Lockdown Eased; Collects Most of June Rent

British Land Co. said Tuesday that it has seen a notable improvement in activity and performance since lockdown restrictions were eased, and it has collected 85% of its June rent.

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Smiths News Sees FY 2021 Adjusted Ebitda Ahead of Market Views

Smiths News PLC said Tuesday that it has experienced a strong performance over the 43 weeks ended June 26, and now expects to report fiscal 2021 adjusted Ebitda ahead of market expectations.

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Howden Joinery 1H Revenue Rose Ahead of Views

Howden Joinery Group PLC said Tuesday that revenue for the first half was ahead of its expectations.

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Kier Group Sees FY 2021 Results Moderately Ahead of Expectations

Kier Group PLC said Tuesday that it expects results for fiscal 2021 to be moderately ahead of management's expectations, thanks to resilient trading and a number of cost-saving initiatives.

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Gamma Communications Sees 2021 Results at Upper Half of Consensus

Gamma Communications PLC said Tuesday that it expects results for 2021 to be in the upper half of consensus estimates after a first-half performance that was broadly in line with expectations.

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Hotel Chocolat Sees FY 2021 Adjusted Pretax Profit Ahead of Previous Views

Hotel Chocolat Group PLC said Tuesday that trading has continued to be strong, with sales for the 10 weeks ended June 27 up 34%, and that it expects to report a higher adjusted pretax profit than previously thought.

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City of London Investment Expects Higher FY 2021 Overheads; Funds Under Management Rise

City of London Investment Group PLC said Tuesday that it expects overheads for fiscal 2021 to be higher than in the previous financial year, and that funds under management at June 30 were $11.4 billion, compared with $5.5 billion for the same point a year ago.

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EMIS Group Sees 1H Trading Ahead of Its Expectations

EMIS Group PLC said Tuesday that trading in the first half was slightly ahead of management expectations, with both revenue and adjusted operating profit rising year-on-year and compared to 2019.

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Circassia 1H Revenue Rose, Sees 2021 Earnings Ahead of Market Views

Circassia Group PLC said Tuesday that its first-half revenue rose and it expects full-year earnings to exceed current market expectations.

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Ebiquity 1H Revenue Rose 19%

Ebiquity PLC said Tuesday that revenue for the first half rose 19% and that it swung to a profit in contrast to the loss incurred in the year-prior period.

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ECSC Group 1H Revenue Rose

ECSC Group PLC said Tuesday that revenue for the first half of 2021 rose, with growth across its two divisions, and that it is well positioned to take advantage of opportunities in a recovering economy.

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eEnergy Swung to Annual Profit, Expects Revenue Growth But Profit Miss for FY 2022

eEnergy Group PLC said Tuesday that it delivered its maiden profit with tripled revenue in fiscal 2021, as it forecast revenue ahead of expectations but profit below market views for the current year.

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Clinigen Group to Report FY 2021 Revenue Rise

Clinigen Group PLC said on Tuesday that it expects to report a rise in net revenue for fiscal 2021, and that for fiscal 2022 it expects to achieve double-digit Ebitda growth with continued cash generation.

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Symphony Environmental Sees 1H Operating Loss; Warns on Distribution Costs

Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC said Tuesday that it expects to report an operating loss for the first half of 2021 and said that higher distribution costs due to global vessel and container shortages are set to continue.

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Vianet 3-Month Trading Higher Than Expected; Sees Return to Normal in 2H

Vianet Group PLC said Tuesday that profit for the first three months of the fiscal year has been higher than expected and it now expects both its units to return to normal trading during the second half of the year.

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Block Energy 2Q Oil Production, Sales Fell

Block Energy PLC said Tuesday that its oil production and sales slipped in the second quarter, though the average price per barrel of oil rose.

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Victoria Oil & Gas Shares Fall After Warning on Material Uncertainty

Shares in Victoria Oil & Gas PLC fell Tuesday after the company said that there is a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on its future and that it could be required to raise additional funds.

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Omega Diagnostics FY 2021 Adjusted Pretax Loss Widened; Shares Fall

Shares in Omega Diagnostics Group PLC fell after the company reported a widened adjusted pretax loss, lower revenue, and a swing to Ebitda loss for fiscal 2021.

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Craneware FY 2021 Revenue, Adjusted Ebitda Seen Higher on Year

Craneware PLC said Tuesday that revenue and adjusted Ebitda for fiscal 2021 have increased compared with a year earlier and that it is confident of delivering double-digit organic growth in the future.

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Atalaya Mining Sees 2021 Output Toward High End of Guidance After 2Q Rise

Atalaya Mining PLC said Tuesday that it expects its 2021 copper production to be toward the high end of its previous guidance range and costs toward the lower end, after an increase in second-quarter output.

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Solid State Warns of Potential Disruption If Supply-Chain Issues Continue

Solid State PLC said Tuesday that it could face disruption and delays to projects in the latter part of fiscal 2022 if supply-chain issues continue to deteriorate, and that this might limit opportunities created by recovering demand.

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Revolution Beauty to Raise GBP110.7 Mln in London IPO

Revolution Beauty Group PLC said Tuesday that it plans to raise 110.7 million pounds ($153.7 million) of new money as part of its initial public offering on London's junior AIM.

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ZOO Digital FY 2021 Pretax Loss Widened; Sees Strong Start to FY 2022

ZOO Digital Group PLC said Tuesday that its pretax loss for fiscal 2021 widened but revenue and adjusted earnings rose, and that its performance at the beginning of fiscal 2022 has been strong.

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GENinCode to Raise GBP17 Mln in AIM Float

GENinCode PLC said Tuesday that it will raise around 17.0 million pounds ($23.6 million) as part of its float on London's junior AIM market.

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Maternity-Wear Brand Seraphine Group Sets IPO Price at 295 Pence

British maternity- and nursing-wear brand Seraphine Group PLC on Tuesday set its initial public offering price at 295 pence a share, implying a market capitalization of 150.2 million pounds ($208.2 million).

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Omega Diagnostics Finance Director to Step Down; Successor Appointed

Omega Diagnostics Group PLC said Tuesday that its Group Finance Director Kieron Harbinson has decided to step down after 19 years at the company and that Chris Lea has been appointed as chief financial officer as of August 30.

 
Market Talk: 

Howden Joinery 1H Revenue Tops Hopes, Looks Well-Placed

0814 GMT - Howden Joinery remains well-placed, says Citigroup after the U.K. kitchen maker reported better-than-expected first-half revenue. Citi says 1H revenue was almost GBP785 million, compared to the U.S. bank's estimate of about GBP730m. Overall the outlook comments remain favorable, with 2H trading to date continuing at a similar pattern and management now expecting pretax profit for FY21 of around GBP300m, versus Citi's estimate of GBP270m and consensus of GBP256m, the bank says. "The group remains well-positioned in the current backdrop, with significant advantages on scale, supply-chain strengths, pricing power and stock availability," Citi's Ami Galla says. "We expect consensus estimates to increase towards the revised guidance." Shares rise 3%.([e-mail])

British Land Benefits From Retail-Park Bounceback

0800 GMT - Shares in British Land gain 0.9% after the property developer reported better activity and performance since lockdown restrictions eased and said it has collected 85% of its June rent. The company is benefiting from a retail recovery, particularly on retail parks where social distancing is easier, with sales reaching 94% of pre-pandemic levels across British Land's retail portfolio, Hargreaves Lansdown says. "There's still plenty of work to be done though--the blow to profits last year will take some time to unwind and the systemic problems facing the retail industry are well documented," says HL analyst Sophie Lund-Yates. "To that end, British Land's accelerated foray into the world of logistics is to be applauded." ([e-mail])

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07-13-21 0501ET