ShareCast News

Contract caterer Compass will give investors food for thought on Wednesday when it releases full year results.

The market has pencilled in a figure of £16,869m for revenue, which is a lot of sausage rolls and crudités in anyone's language. Profit before tax is expected to break through the billion pound barrier to £1,074m. Earnings per share are tipped to be around 42.37p, with the full year dividend roughly half that amount at 21.18p.

Strong showings in North America plus Fast Growing & Emerging regions should compensate for soft markets in Europe and Japan.

Panmure Gordon is hoping for an update on plans to return additional cash to shareholders and believes the market would "welcome a commitment of a further £500m" by the end of fiscal 2013, which, if done in the form of buy-backs, would enhance earnings per share by around two or three per cent.

Platinum refiner Johnson Matthey's half year results are expected to see the company unveil a 1.5% decline in revenue to £5,810m while operating profit is predicted to be virtually flat at £213.5m.

Despite what looks like a period of treading water for Johnson Matthey, Charles Stanley is expecting the company to whack the interim dividend up from 15.7p last year to 22.2p this.

"This would not be too surprising. At the release of its preliminary results for the year ended March 31st Johnson Matthey announced a special dividend payment of 100p per share, in addition to a final dividend payment of 40p per share. The rationale behind the special dividend payment was continuing strong growth in both profits and cash flow and the belief that the group has 'ample resources' to fund these expenditures," writes Rae Ellingham of Charles Stanley.

Johnson Matthey is a world leader in emissions control technologies, e.g. catalytic converters, so it does have exposure to the struggling French motor car industry, which might persuade the board to be a bit more careful with the divi.

The week has a bit of a boozy theme with the likes of brewer SABMiller, pubs group Enterprise Inns and brewing & pubs group Fuller, Smith & Turner all reporting.

Panmure Gordon forecasts unchanged profit before tax for Fullers of £16.5m, reflecting the impact of the wettest summer for 100 years.

Full year profits at Enterprise Inns are expected by the market to be in the region of £136.3m on sales of £685m.

"Given the improving trading trends and falling bank debt - and the possibility of the reintroduction of dividends over the next 12 months - we think the stock continues to offer significant upside potential," suggested Simon French of Panmure Gordon.

As for SABMiller, Charles Stanley predicts revenue of $16,940m, leading to profit before tax of $2,575m, but warns there is likely to be material variation in trading conditions by regions.

SABMiller "remains well placed to benefit from growth in urban middle class populations in emerging markets, which aspire to drink branded beer and can increasingly afford to do so," notes Charles Stanley's Sam Hart.

"Trading conditions in developed markets are likely to remain more challenging, but significant potential remains to improve operational efficiency in these markets and they will continue to be an important source of cash to invest in faster growth markets," Hart added.



Monday November 19

INTERIMS

FFastFill, Majestic Wine, Mitie Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

NTT DoCoMo Inc

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

Q3

Latchways

GMS

Valirx

FINALS

Diploma

ANNUAL REPORT

BowLeven, Netcall

IMSS

FBD Holdings, Ruspetro

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hansard Global, JPMorgan Emerging Markets Inv Trust, Petmin Ltd. (DI)

Tuesday November 20

INTERIMS

Accumuli , Big Yellow Group, British Land Co, CML Microsystems, Eckoh, Energy Assets Group, Halma, Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Homeserve, Mckay Securities, Renold, Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust Ltd, Telecom Plus, Vectura Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Capital Shopping Centres Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Caterpillar Inc.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

ABC Consumer Confidence (US) (22:00)

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

Q2

Big Yellow Group, British Land Co, Optos

FINALS

easyJet, Enterprise Inns, Paragon Group Of Companies

ANNUAL REPORT

World Careers Network

EGMS

Experian, Plaza Centers NV

AGMS

Advance Frontier Markets Fund Ltd, Black Mountain Resources Ltd, Smiths Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Henderson EuroTrust, Ricardo

Wednesday November 21

INTERIMS

Halfords Group, HICL Infrastructure Company Ltd, Hyder Consulting, Intermediate Capital Group, Johnson Matthey, Omega Diagnostics Group, QinetiQ Group, UK Mail Group

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Carphone Warehouse Group, Great Portland Estates, HICL Infrastructure Company Ltd, Hill & Smith Holdings, Invensys, Investment Company, London & Stamford Property , Metric Property Investments , Morgan Crucible Co, Next, Prime People, Printing.com, Sainsbury (J), Synergy Health, TalkTalk Telecom Group , TEP Exchange Group, Vedanta Resources, Vodafone Group, Walker Crips Group

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Carnival

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bloomberg Consumer Confidence (US) (14:45)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Leading Indicators (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

U. of Michigan Confidence (US) (15:00)

Q3

JSC KazMunaiGaz Exploration Production GDR (Reg S), Zhaikmunai LP GDR (Reg S)

FINALS

Avon Rubber, Compass Group, Optos

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Narborough Plantations

EGMS

VietNam Holding Ltd, VinaLand Ltd

AGMS

Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust, Active Capital Trust, Impax Asian Environmental Markets, International Ferro Metals Group, JPMorgan Global Markets Emerging Income Trust, Pantheon International Participations, Ruffer Investment Company Ltd Red PTG Pref Shares, Sabien Technology Group, Stellar Diamonds

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Minutes (09:30)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Euromoney Institutional Investor, GETECH Group, Hornby, Keystone Inv Trust, United Drug

Thursday November 22

INTERIMS

Dart Group, Mothercare, SABMiller, Sepura, Young & Co's Brewery 'A' Shares

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Goals Soccer Centres, Hansteen Holdings, Smart Metering Systems

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Confidence Indicator (EU) (10:00)

Q3

ADC African Development Corporation GmbH, Avengardco Investments Public Ltd GDR, Bridge Energy Asa, Wentworth Resources Ltd (CDI)

GMS

Impellam Group

FINALS

Daily Mail and General Trust A (Non.V), Grainger, Phytopharm

ANNUAL REPORT

Firestone Diamonds

AGMS

Close Brothers Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

CBI Industrial Trends Surveys (11:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Thorpe (F.W.)

Friday November 23

INTERIMS

Max Property Group, Picton Property Income Ltd, Sweett Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Bovis Homes Group, Harvey Nash Group, Menzies(John), Octopus VCT , RSA Insurance Group, Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust, Ted Baker, Walker Greenbank

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Gross Domestic Product (GER) (07:00)

IFO Business Climate (GER) (09:00)

IFO Current Assessment (GER) (09:00)

IFO Expectations (GER) (09:00)

GMS

Nexus Management

ANNUAL REPORT

Croma Security Solutions Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust

EGMS

KT Corp. ADR

AGMS

Draganfly Investments Ltd., Hargreaves Lansdown, Hargreaves Services, Petmin Ltd. (DI), Rialto Energy Ltd (DI)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Abcam, Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust, Dechra Pharmaceuticals, El Oro Ltd, Genus, Mcbride, Murgitroyd Group, Smiths Group



JH