Company news from ShareCast

• Harman International presents higher than expected earnings
  Tue 07 February 2012 16:37
  Shares of media firm Harman Innternational Industries lead the gains on the S&P 500 after the audio and car navigation system maker presented better than expected quarterly results.

• Sabadell will have to set aside €1.6bn to comply with financial reform
  Tue 07 February 2012 16:08
  Banco Sabadell has reported that it will need to set aside €1.607bn for provisions in order to satisfy the new requirements established by Spain's financial reform.

• Wednesday preview: BHP Billiton, Reckitt, Dunelm ...
  Tue 07 February 2012 15:56
  The market will be distracted on Wednesday from the teething pains of the creation of a new mining giant (Glencore Xstrata International) by the results from a mining conglomerate created in a merger from a different era, BHP Billiton.

• Lloyds announces 1,000 job cuts
  Tue 07 February 2012 14:56
  Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to slash almost 1,000 jobs in the UK, as well as closing some of its offices, according to the bank's employee union, Accord.

• Dixons welcomes OFT's stance on extended warranties
  Tue 07 February 2012 13:31
  Dixons Retail, an electrical retailing and services company, has said it welcomes today's announcement from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regarding extended warranties.

• Sage snaps up payment processing provider
  Tue 07 February 2012 13:17
  Business software group Sage has announced that through its subsidiary Sage Pay Europe it has acquired Integral Computers, a cardholder present payment processing provider based in Ireland for a cash consideration of up to €20m (£16.7m).

• Enagas announces 8% dividend increase for 2012
  Tue 07 February 2012 12:38
  For a fifth consecutive year, Spanish energy company Enagas has reached the targets it set out to achieve.

• Glaxo reports falling sales but raises divi - UPDATE
  Tue 07 February 2012 11:51
  Shares in GlaxoSmithKline took a hit in afternoon trade on Tuesday after the pharmaceuticals giant reported fourth quarter sales that missed forecasts. Nevertheless, the firm upped its total dividend and identified further share buy-backs in the coming ye

• Fitch downgrades several Italian banks
  Tue 07 February 2012 11:29
  Ratings agency Fitch has downgraded the long-term debt ratings for several Italian banks including Banco Popolare and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which were cut from "BBB+" to "BBB", and Intesa Sanpaolo, which was cut from "A" to "A-".

• Santander will book an extra €2.3bn in provisions
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:40
  Banco Santander will book €2.3bn in provisions this year after new standards for real-estate assets require the bank to come up with a total of €6.1bn to offset possible losses on property loans.

• Xstrata reports record earnings in 2011
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:39
  With Xstrata shareholders reportedly not happy with the terms of Glencore's merger offer, the share price seems to have ignored the miner's decent full-year results also announced this morning.

• Battle lines drawn over Glenstrata merger
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:34
  The opening salvos have been fired in the battle for value over the proposed $90bn merger between commodity giants Glencore and Xstrata.

• French customers cool on North Africa at TUI
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:08
  Summer 2012 bookings at TUI Travel during the key booking month of January were little changed from last year, but the package tour operator is consoling itself that it is doing a lot better than the rest of the industry.

• ArcelorMittal reports lower 2011 earnings due to one-time charges
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:02
  ArcelorMittal reported 2011 net earnings of $2.262bn compared to the $2.916bn reported in 2010.

• BP hikes divi as profits jump - UPDATE
  Tue 07 February 2012 10:02
  Oil titan BP has announced a 14% increase in its quarterly dividend to eight cents per share, the first rise since the company resumed payouts a year ago, in the hope that it can put the 2010 Gulf of Mexico (GoM) oil spill behind it.

• Record breaking run continues at 888
  Tue 07 February 2012 09:21
  Online gaming solutions provider 888 said trading in 2012 has continued at record levels, building on the strong performance in the final quarter of 2011.

• Deutsche Bank to accept bids on $2bn asset management unit
  Tue 07 February 2012 08:58
  Deutsche Bank is expected to slim down the list of possible buyers for its asset management unit and may require binding bids to be submitted on Wednesday, according to a report from Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

• UBM buys 4G World franchise
  Tue 07 February 2012 08:20
  UBM, the FTSE 250 business media firm, has bought the 4G World exhibition and conference franchise.

• European broker round-up
  Tue 07 February 2012 08:14
  Repsol: Natixis downgrades to NEUTRAL from buy.

• Xstrata dips as Glencore merger terms are unveiled
  Tue 07 February 2012 08:02
  Anglo-Swiss commodities firms Glencore and Xstrata have finalised terms of their agreed merger, and judging by the share price reaction, Xstrata shareholders have cause to carp at the terms.

• Electra's NAV per share up 2.3%
  Tue 07 February 2012 08:00
  Private equity group Electra saw basic net asset value per share (NAV) rise 2.3% in the three months ended December 31st.

• Shanks trading on course
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:49
  Waste management firm Shanks said trading for the interim period to 31 January 2012 is in line with company expectations despite, as expected, challenging conditions.

• Amlin estimates pay out on cruise disaster
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:45
  Insurance and reinsurance company Amlin has estimated that its worst case position resulting from the grounding of the cruise ship Costa Concordia would be less than £10m, net of reinsurance recoveries.

• Gloomy outlook at UBS
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:41
  Swiss banking giant UBS's fourth quarter profit was less than a quarter of what it was a year earlier and came in well below market expectations.

• Production rates slip at Exillon Energy
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:41
  Russia-focused oil producer Exillon Energy said that total average production slipped slightly in January, compared with December.

• Beazley in profit despite catastrophic year
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:18
  Compared to 2010, specialist insurer Beazley appears to have had a very difficult year although in insurance the bare numbers do not always tell the story.

• Victrex sees volumes improve after de-stocking issues
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:17
  Plastics firm Victrex says that sales volumes "came back strongly" following the de-stocking it saw from customers of its Victrex Polymer Solutions business (VPS) in the first quarter (October to December).

• TalkTalk not just all mouth as it raises guidance
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:16
  Internet and telephone service provider TalkTalk Telecom has raised full year earnings guidance as projected cost savings come in ahead of schedule.

• Home sales up 5% at Bellway
  Tue 07 February 2012 07:15
  Housebuilder Bellway said completed home sales rose by 5% in the six months to 31 January 2012 with operating margins poised to reach double digits.

• Tuesday preview: BP and Xstrata
  Mon 06 February 2012 17:16
  With Royal Dutch Shell's results out of the way, attention turns to its perennial rival, BP, which issues a fourth quarter update on Tuesday.

• Boeing orders inspection of 787 Dreamliners
  Mon 06 February 2012 15:54
  US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has ordered the inspection of its new 787 Dreamliner after finding a problem with its fuselage.

• Broker snap: HSBC upgrades RWE to neutral
  Mon 06 February 2012 15:02
  HSBC has upgraded its recommendation for German utilities firm RWE from underweight to neutral and raised the price target from €28 to €32.

• US broker round-up
  Mon 06 February 2012 14:12
  MARATHON PETROLEUM: Oppenheimer reiterates overweight, price target of $55 (vs. $42).

• Banco Santander expects to double net income by 2014
  Mon 06 February 2012 13:45
  Banco Santander's Chief Executive Alfredo Saenz informed the group's top executives last week that the bank expects to rake in 13bn euros in net income in 2014, more than twice the amount registered in 2011, Spanish daily Cinco Dias reports.

• EADS expects more deliveries, higher earnings in 2012
  Mon 06 February 2012 13:31
  EADS subsidiary Airbus expects more aeroplanes to be delivered and considerable earnings growth this year compared to 2011, said chief financial officer Peter Ring in an interview with German daily Die Welt on Saturday.

• Rothschild's departure will make Bumi's board stronger, says Bakrie
  Mon 06 February 2012 12:43
  Indonesian businessman Samin Tan and the Bakrie family, who together control 29.9% of the votes in Bumi, last Friday demanded a meeting to persuade fellow shareholders to vote on a shake-up of the board. More specifically, they wish to ouster the company'

• Credit Mutuel may raise stake of Banco Popular
  Mon 06 February 2012 12:09
  Spanish daily Expansion reported this morning that Credit Mutuel may increase its 5% stake of Banco Popular.

• Broker snap: Credit Suisse keeps overweight rating for ArcelorMittal
  Mon 06 February 2012 11:59
  Ahead of tomorrow's fourth quarter earnings presentation by ArcelorMittal, Credit Suisse has confirmed an overweight recommendation for the steel company.

• E.On and GDF Suez look to expand
  Mon 06 February 2012 11:08
  European energy companies E.On and GDF Suez are searching outside their domestic markets in order to expand.

• S&P places Fiat under negative watch
  Mon 06 February 2012 10:37
  Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has placed its credit rating for Italian car marker Fiat under negative watch because its expects the group's European operating performance to deteriorate in 2012 on weak demand.

• Credit Agricole prepares new financing model
  Mon 06 February 2012 10:04
  French bank Credit Agricole is preparing to change its financing model for its investment and corporate bank, announced general director Jean-Yves Locher, the Financial Times reports.

• EU Commission eyes 'Glenstrata' deal, says Telegraph
  Mon 06 February 2012 09:06
  Glencore may face a regulatory hurdle in its attempted merger with fellow FTSE 100 commodity company Xstrata, reports the Daily Telegraph

• UK Commercial Property Trust unveils big plans for Shrewsbury
  Mon 06 February 2012 08:15
  UK Commercial Property Trust (UKCPT) has unveiled plans for a £150m redevelopment of Shrewsbury town centre, Shropshire, combining its three shopping centres into a single, combined centre called New Riverside.

• Drilling starts at Afren's Ghanaian well
  Mon 06 February 2012 08:10
  FTSE 250 oil and gas company Afren has announced that Eni Ghana has started drilling the Nunya-1X exploration well on the Keta black, offshore Ghana, in which it owns a 35% interest.

• Exillon Energy doubles credit line
  Mon 06 February 2012 08:08
  Exillon Energy, an oil producer focused on northern Russia, has agreed a new $100m loan facility with Credit Suisse.

• European broker round-up
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:58
  Tecnicas Reunidas: Kleper upgrades to BUY from hold.

• Premier Oil abandons North Sea well
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:55
  FTSE 250 oil and gas exploration and production firm Premier Oil has reported that the East Fyne Appraisal well in the North Sea, which it operates on behalf of JV partners which include Antrim, is being plugged and abandoned.

• Allied Gold's Papua sites in 'legally good standing'
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:49
  Allied Gold Mining, the gold miner with significant interests in Papua New Guinea, says the government has confirmed two of its key licences in the country are "legally in good standing".

• Compass completes acquisition
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:43
  Compass, the food and support services firm, has announced the completion of its acquisition of foodservices provider DORA Gastro through its subsidiary Eurest, following clearance from the Office for the Protection of Competition in the Czech Republic.

• Anglo Pacific looks to tap into Aussie iron ore project
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:30
  FTSE 250 natural resources royalties company Anglo Pacific has agreed to a proposal to buy 50% of Red Rock Resources' Mount Ida iron ore royalty for $14m.

• UBM raises £10m from farming and medical titles
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:18
  Business events organiser and publisher UBM has sold its UK agriculture and medical general practitioner portfolios to a new business, Briefing Media Group, for a total of £10m.

• Passenger numbers fall at easyJet
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:13
  Budget airline easyJet saw passenger numbers nudge 0.4% lower last month, but the load factory saw a slightly improvement.

• Vodafone calls off talks with Wind Hellas
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:11
  Vodafone has announced this morning that it has called off a potential "business combination" with Greek telecoms group Wind Hellas.

• Randgold Resources doubles dividend on sales rise
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:06
  Randgold Resources, the west Africa-focused gold miner, saw sales in the final three months of last year rise 1.3% over the the previous quarter.

• Primaral raises stake in Vodafone India
  Mon 06 February 2012 07:00
  Vodafone has announced that Piramal Healthcare has acquired a further 5.5% stake of Vodafone India (VIL) from ETHL Communications (Essar) for 30.07bn rupees (£385m), raising its total interest to 11%.

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