Next (NXT): expected to unveil interim revenue growth of 3.8%
First-half full-price sales up 4.5% from the same period of last year
Next has done it again, outperforming chief executive Lord Woodson’s cautious forecasts to unveil interim revenue growth of 3.8% to £1.99bn, upping its expectations for full-year pre-tax profits by £10m to £727m – a fraction above last year’s performance.
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S&U (SUS); 1H results: revenue increased 23% to £44.5m
Stock up 3.13% to 2,640p at 8:22
SUS reported its interim results for 1H 2018 ending 31 July 2018 with revenue at £44.5m, a 23% increase on IFRS16 comparable basis. The profit before tax (PBT) grew 17% to £16.7m (1H 2017: £14.3m) while earnings per share (EPS) was up 17% to 112.6p (2017: 96p).
Read more...Low & Bonar (LWB); trading update: margins decline; FY profit to be lower than anticipated
Stock down 26.45% to 37.73p at 8:30
LWB provided a trading update for 3Q18. Sales volumes grew in line with expectations, but prices of key polymers increased further, resulting in lower margins than previously envisaged. Thus, full year profitability is expected to be significantly lower than previously anticipated.
Read more...Osirium Technologies (OSI); H1 2018 results: revenue up 78% YoY to £466,333
Stock flat at 142.50p at 08:04
For the six months ended 30 June 2018, revenue rose 78% YoY from £261,600 to £466,333 (comprising SaaS revenue of £387,441, up 87%, and Professional Services revenue of £78,892, up 46%), while bookings increased 37% YoY from £445,169 to £608,227.
Read more...Hotel Chocolat (HOTC): beat expectations with revenue of £116.3m growing 11%
Hotel Chocolat taking its first steps into New York
Hotel Chocolat is becoming something of a role model for controlled brand growth. Its main channels are its 113 classic stores including 30 café formats, digital sales running at 14% of total revenue, a growing business through wholesale partners like Amazon, and international.
Read more...Blancco Technology Group (BLTG); FY18 results: revenue up 2% to £27.5m
Stock up 1.74% to 87.50p at 08:19
For the year ending 30 June 2018, revenue increased 2% to £27.5m (2017: £26.9mn) and 5% to £28.3m on a constant currency basis. Adjusted operating profit increased 4% to £3.3m (2017: £3.2m) and 17% to £3.7m on a constant currency basis.
Read more...WANdisco (WAND); 1H18 results: adjusted EBITDA loss of $5.9m; announces contract win
Stock down 14.3% to 562.0p at 8:19
WAND reported preliminary unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2018. Revenue (under IAS) for the period fell to $6.6m compared to $9.7m in H1 2017. Reported adjusted EBITDA (under IAS) loss of $5.9m in H1 2018 compared to $0.3m profit in H1 2017.
Read more...Ebiquity (EBQ); interim results: reported revenue up by 1.9%
Stock flat at 40.50p at 8:09
For the six months ending 30 June 2018, EBQ’s total revenue increased 1.9% YoY to £45.5m from £44.6m. The group’s underlying diluted EPS was 2.8p (HY2017: 5.6p).
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Randgold and Barrick merger has a lot of other gold mining companies pondering ‘what if’
Randgold Resources and Barrick Gold nil premium merger to form the world's largest gold miner
Given that Randgold Resources was once described as, “Mark Bristow running around West Africa with a cheque book”, the announcement of today’s nil premium merger between Randgold and Barrick to form the world’s largest gold miner in a little over twenty years from the former’s inception is a significant personal triumph for Randgold’s CEO and will leave a lot of other gold mining companies pondering ‘what if’. Of course, the merger had been heavily rumoured months ago, but so much time had elapsed since Bristow’s publicly avowed aim of concluding a ‘transformative deal’ that many observers were beginning to think that it might never happen.
Read more...Thomas Cook (TGG): cuts operating profit for 2018 by £280m following a profit warning
Winter bookings slow 2% behind last year
It seems bizarre for a holiday company to blame hot weather. But that is the substance of Thomas Cook’s profit warning cutting FY18 operating profit expectations by around 13% to £280m
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