SQS Software Quality Systems AG Share News (SQS)

Greene King raised £200m in May 2009 to fund expansion. Greene King has spent £70m to £80m a year out of earnings on doing up its existing estate. Much of the rights issue cash went on premium pubs in London and food-led outlets elsewhere. The shares, not far from where they were a year ago, sell on about nine times this year's earnings and look like one of the best plays in the sector longer-term, although worries over consumer spending may prevail for now, the Times says.When we last met McBride, the job of producing own-label, low-margin cleaning and skincare products for the big supermarkets was tricky. The price of ingredients such as plastics and packaging was rising, the supermarkets were balking at absorbing these themselves and the big branded competitors were promoting aggressively. A year later it is fair to say that the job has not got any easier. The shares, marked back 5½p to 127p, now sell on about 13 times this year's earnings, which in this trading climate suggests no strong reason to buy for now, according to the Times.Johnson Service Group provides industry and hotels with laundry and clothing and so is exposed to industrial trends, while its dry-cleaning outlets, including the upmarket chain Jeeves of Belgravia, rely on consumer spending of a type easily, if not fragrantly, deferrable. Pre-tax profits came in £300,000 higher at £6.5m. The shares are on about seven times this year's earnings, but there seems no obvious upside, says the Times.But the Independent says buy. The group slashed its pension deficit to £3.2m from £11.2m last year, whi5 le a more modest reduction in its net debt leaves it only £51m in the black. Investors also toasted a 22rise in its interim dividend to 0.33p. Bolstering the investment case is the thin valuation, with Johnson trading on a modest forward earnings multiple of 6.8 times, it says.Ashtead positively wowed the market yesterday, as the industrial equipment hire company said it expected profits for the full year to be well ahead of analysts' estimates. It has long been the case that during periods of economic difficulty construction companies and the like have preferred to rent rather than buy. On valuation grounds the shares still trade at just above 11 times forecast earnings, after the recent upgrades. And that falls to single figures the next year. The Independent says buy.Yesterday's half-yearly results left shares in SQS, the software-testing firm, sitting at 175p last night. The weakness was pinned not so much on the figures, but on the gloomy outlook. Although far from cheery, the statement was not so negative as to warrant a nearly 10% decline in the share price. Given the company's continued investment in its management services business, and the fact that its shares trade on around eight times forward earnings, we think a rebound is on the cards, says the Independent.Petrofac is a UK-based oil services company which listed in the UK in October 2005 and whose shareholders have benefited as revenues and net profits have grown significantly. With the price of crude oil remaining elevated it seems unlikely that the capital expenditure programmes of the oil majors will change significantly over the next couple of years. However, any meaningful and sustained weakness in the oil price would be a concern. The Scotsman says buy.Please note: Digital Look provides a round-up of news, tips and information that is impacting share prices and the market. Digital Look cannot take any responsibility for information provided by third parties. This is for your general information only as not intended to be relied upon by users in making an investment decision or any other decision. Please obtain a copy of the relevant publication and carry out your own research before considering acting on any of this information.