Company News
WS Atkins agrees to takeover by SNC-Lavalin
WS Atkins, the rail, telecoms and defence engineer, has agreed to be taken over by Canada's SNC-Lavalin for £2. 1bn.
Vedanta's Indian subsidiary hit by fire and smelter outage in same week
Vedanta Resources' Indian subsidiary Vedanta Limited will need to repair more than a third of its aluminium smelting pots after an outage earlier this week, while elsewhere a fire has put a power plant out of action for two months.
Oxford BioDynamics invited to join FNIH steering committee
Discovery and development of novel epigenetic biomarkers-focussed biotechnology company Oxford BioDynamics announced on Thursday that itself and Dr Claudio Carini, a member of company’s scientific advisory panel, had been invited to join the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium as a member of the Cancer, Inflammation & Immunity, and Neuroscience Steering Committees.
Ebiquity launches Portfolio Digital product in UK
Independent marketing and media analytics consultancy Ebiquity announced the launch of Portfolio Digital, a new digital ad intelligence platform designed to monitor online display advertising on Thursday.
Salt Lake Potash contracts Amec for Goldfields pilot plant
Salt Lake Potash announced to the market on Thursday that Amec Foster Wheeler had been appointed to prepare an analysis of the alternatives for the company to construct a pilot plant at the Goldfields Salt Lakes Project, intended to be the first salt-lake brine sulphate of potash (SOP) production operation in Australia.
Quieter Falklands trading sees FIH earnings fall
Falkland Islands and UK-focussed specialist services company FIH Group updated the market on its trading for the year to 31 March on Thursday, cautioning that the results remained subject to audit and final approval by the board.
Friday preview: UK retail sales could confirm consumer spending slowdown
UK retail sales for March are published on Friday, along with flash April data on eurozone services and manufacturing activity and ahead of similar surveys covering America, while Reckitt Benckiser is among those giving trading updates in what appears to be a quiet day for big corporate results.
Small cap news round-up
Natural resources investing company Cluff Natural Resources announced the results of an independent scoping study covering two prospects on its 100% owned licence P2248 in the Southern North Sea gas basin on Thursday.
US open: Stocks make modest gains as earnings season continues
As earnings season continues, there were modest gains on Wall Street on Thursday following a slump in oil prices in the previous session.
Cluff announces North Sea scoping study results
Natural resources investing company Cluff Natural Resources announced the results of an independent scoping study covering two prospects on its 100% owned licence P2248 in the Southern North Sea gas basin on Thursday.
Braveheart trading in line with expectations
Fund management and strategic investor group Braveheart Investment Group updated the market on its trading on Thursday, reporting that it had continued to perform in line with the January 2017 trading update.
Results round-up: Unilever, Sky, Debenhams
Unilever upped its quarterly dividend 12% as underlying sales grew 2. 9% in the first three months of the year, despite sales volumes remaining in the red for the third consecutive quarter.
Broker tips: Go-Ahead, Britvic
Investec upgraded transport operator Go-Ahead to 'buy' from 'add' saying trading in the third quarter was in line with expectations, with the company outperforming the UK market in bus and rail.
Energiser confirms sale of final Kingswood unit
Energiser Investments confirmed on Thursday that, further to its announcement on 6 April, the sale of the final unit at the Kingswood Park development had legally completed at the agreed price of £725,000.
Ortac enters Slovakian joint venture on Sturec project
Europe and Africa-focussed mineral exploration company Ortac Resources announced on Thursday that it entered into an agreement to form a joint venture with a Slovakian company to jointly develop the Sturec Gold Project at Kremnica.
Ashtead slips on read-across from United Rentals
Equipment rental firm Ashtead retreated after results from US peer United Rentals showed rental rates were under pressure in the first quarter.
Inspired Energy buys Flexible Energy Management and Churchcom for total £3.6m
Inspired Energy, an energy procurement consultancy, has completed the acquisitions of Flexible Energy Management and Churchcom for a combined £3. 6m.
Europe midday: CAC buoyed after polls show Emmanuel Macron victory
European stocks were little changed on Thursday, but the CAC 40 gained with days to go until the first round of voting for the French presidential election, while the euro hit a three-week high against the dollar.
Thursday broker round-up
Burberry: Barclays reiterates Overweight with a target price of 1900p.
Anglo African agrees equipment terms for workover at Tilapia
Independent oil and gas developer Anglo African Oil & Gas announced on Thursday that it agreed terms to contract the wireline and ancillary equipment for the workover that was intended to undertake the reperforation and acidisation of the R2 reservoir in well TLP-102.