News And Announcements
Ryanair traffic rises 12% in July
Low-cost carrier Ryanair reported an 11% rise in passenger numbers for July as the load factor ticked higher.
StanChart profit up 82% but no dividend
Standard Chartered reported an 82% jump in first-half profit on Wednesday but shares in the bank slumped, with analysts pointing to potential disappointment that the dividend was not reinstated early.
Dignity H1 profit rises as deaths increase
FTSE 250 funeral company Dignity reported a rise in first-half profit on Wednesday as deaths increased.
Apple hits new high as revenues rise even before new iPhone launch
Apple shares reached a record high overnight after the tech colossus announced it had sold 41m iPhones in the last three months, and also stated that the iPhone 8 would not be delayed as previously reported.
AG Barr grows sales ahead of market but profit margins squeezed
AG Barr, the maker of Irn-Bru and other soft drinks, said it had increased sales 8% in the first half of the year but profit margins were flattened slightly by increased investment and higher costs resulting from the weak pound.
Rio Tinto slides as huge cash return disappoints
After slashing costs and selling assets, Rio Tinto said it would return $3bn of cash to shareholders for the first half of 2017, but revenues, profits and the dividend came in shy of forecasts.
Aggreko revenue stable while earnings slide
Aggreko’s group revenue rose 16% in its first half to £792m pre-exceptional items, the company said on Wednesday, although excluding pass-through fuel and currency fluctuations, it was in line with the same time last year.
Wizz Air load factors improve as it removes cabin bag charges
Central and Eastern Europe-focussed low cost carrier Wizz Air saw passenger number rise 23. 7% year-on-year in July to 2,827,331, it said on Wednesday, as capacity improved 21. 3% to 2,465,720 seats during the month.
BAE Systems bullish about defence budgets, restructures cyber security arm
BAE Systems' new chief executive Charles Woodburn presented a strong set of interim results on Wednesday, keeping the aerospace and defence group on an even keel and firing off a confident view on the outlook.
Online focus pays out for William Hill in first half
Bookmaker William Hill saw revenue improve 3% in its first half to £837m, it said on Wednesday, although adjusted operating profit fell 1% to £129. 5m.
Weak containerboard supply and rising costs hit Smurfit Kappa earnings
Smurfit Kappa saw its revenue improve 5% in its first half to €4. 23bn, it reported on Wednesday, although EBITDA was off 4% at €569m.
Travis Perkins H1 profits drop amid challenging plumbing & heating market
FTSE 250 builders’ merchant Travis Perkins posted a drop in first-half profits on Wednesday despite growing revenues, as it highlighted a challenging plumbing and heating market.
ETI continues to drag on Old Mutual's Nedbank
Nedbank Group - the majority-owned South African banking subsidiary of FTSE 100 firm Old Mutual - saw headline earnings decrease 2. 9% to ZAR 5. 27bn in its first half, it said on Wednesday, although they improved 6. 7% to ZAR 6. 43bn when excluding the performance of its loss-making associate ETI.
FDA gives AstraZeneca 'priority review' for acalabrutinib
AstraZeneca and its haematology research and development centre of excellence, Acerta Pharma, announced on Wednesday that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review for the New Drug Application (NDA) for acalabrutinib.
Be Heard Group enters into revolving facility agreement with Barclays
Be Heard Group entered into agreement with Barclays Bank in respect of a revolving credit facility, the group announced on Wednesday.